Two's Company...Three's A Crowd
by Aibhlin37
Summary: A new student enrolls at Rawley Girls and becomes obsessed with Hamilton. An answer to Carol's "obsession challenge"
1. Default Chapter

Title: "Two's Company...Three's A Crowd."   
Author: EV  
Email: EVLYN827@cs.com  
Rating: PG  
Category: Jake/Hamilton  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned herin. I would like to thank the makers of Snapple and hope they don't mind a brief product endorsement. Maybe they would consider hosting a "summer series" sometime. LOL And a mention to the movie "Hackers", from which I borrowed some "techinical lines" and jargon.  
Summary: Response to "The Obsession Challenge"  
Thanks: Thanks to Carol for providing a fun and interesting "challange" idea. Thanks also to Deb!! Without your constant enthusiasm and encouragement...I probably wouldn't bother  
Feedback: Loved and appreciated.  
  
Carol's "Obsession" Challenge - Submitted 11/17/00 by Carol  
A new girl enrolls at the Rawley Girls School and decides that she wants Hamilton. Requirements:   
Hamilton wanting nothing to do with the new girl.   
The girl becoming obsessed with Hamilton.   
Hamilton telling the girl that he's gay to try to get her to leave him alone.   
Hamilton coming out of the "closet" and kissing Jake in front of the girl, Scout, Will, and Bella to prove that he's gay.   
The girl seeing Hamilton and Jake in a bedroom makeout session (she doesn't see that Jakes a girl).   
The girl trying to remove the competition.   
The girl has to injure Jake (be creative, no using the psycho with a knife, its been done to many times) and Hamilton has to go into overprotective boyfriend mode.   
Ryder trying to make a pass at the new girl and finding out that it wasn't a very bright idea.   
Some romantic moments between Hamilton & Jake with a happy ending.   
The story can be rated from PG13 to NC17.   
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
  
"I love you too" He said. "I'll call you when I get home."  
  
"Hamilton...it's two-thirty in the morning. Please don't call me..." She smiled at him knowing that he would call...just to say goodnight.  
  
Hamilton kissed her one more time and then headed off to find the wooded path that lead to home. He knew he would have to be quiet as he snuck back into the house. He was always careful not to wake his sleeping parents.   
Jake fell onto her bed...her smile still intact. She placed her cell phone next to her pillow and waited patiently for it to ring.  
******************************  
  
Kate Flemming descended the steps of Rawley Academy quickly in an effort to catch up with her son. The pretty raven haired girl attempted to keep up although her spike heels appeared to slow her down. "Oh...there's my Munchie." Kate said.  
  
Hamilton cringed when he heard the nickname he despised but was powerless to keep his forgetful mother from using. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.  
  
"Mom...drop the Munchie." He whispered loudly for the millionth time.  
  
"Sorry...honey." She looked embarrassed at first...then moved on. Hamilton...this is Melanie Manos. Melanie...this is my son, Hamilton." The two exchanged brief smiles. "Melanie is starting at Rawley Girls...would you mind showing her back to the girls campus so she doesn't get lost?"  
  
Hamilton sighed. Resident tour guide had become one of the many necessary responsibilities of being the Dean's son. "Yeah...sure Mom."  
  
"Thanks honey." She moved Hamilton's bangs out of his eyes in her usual motherly fashion. "You look tired..." She said.  
  
Hamilton backed his head away. "Mom..." He gave her the, "you're embarrassing me" look. "This way Melody." Hamilton said as he walked on ahead of her.  
  
"Actually...it's Melanie. "It's Greek. My Mom's parents were born in Athens."  
  
"Uh huh." Hamilton responded, not really listening. He slowed his pace slightly allowing her the chance to catch up.  
  
"So...son of the Dean...huh?" Melanie said drawing out her words.   
  
"In the flesh." Hamilton responded.  
  
"Mmmmm. And nice flesh it is too." She extended her hand and ran the tip of her index finger down the length of his forearm.  
Hamilton stepped away slightly. He gave her an obviously uncomfortable look.  
  
"Yeah...well...the...um...girls campus is right through those trees...and take a left." He said stopping in his tracks.  
  
"Hello Hamilton." An elderly man called to him. He was squatting on one knee while he used hedge trimmers to carefully clip the bushes.  
  
"Hi Mr. Finch..." Hamilton waved to him.  
  
"Haven't seen you much around my way..." He said.  
  
"Yeah well, not since you told me it was haunted." Hamilton laughed as he walked away from the groundskeeper.  
  
Melanie followed as well. She looked up at him batting her eyes, attempting to give him her best shy, innocent look. "So...tell me, Munchie..." she smiled as she said the name, "What do people do around here...for fun?"  
  
"Um...there's lots of stuff. Swimming...sailing...um...you'll get an activities list in your orientation packet. It'll probably be in your room." Hamilton stopped and took a giant step backwards away from Melanie. Melanie took a step toward Hamilton.  
  
"Maybe some of the fun I'm looking for won't be included on that list." She put her hand against Hamilton's chest. "Maybe I'll need your help..." She grinned, her voice dropping an octave.  
  
"Look...I've got a class in a few minutes. I've gotta go. Through those trees and take a left." Hamilton said pointing as he turned and walked away.  
  
Melanie called out after him. "Nice meeting you...I'm sure we'll run into each other again."  
Melanie began to follow the path toward the trees. "You can bet on it." She said to herself.  
  
"Don't bet on it" Hamilton said to himself as he hurried toward the grassy area and Finn's awaiting English class.  
  
  
Hamilton hurried toward the familiar spot. It was not unlike him to be late for class and Finn took some obvious pleasure in bringing it to everybody's attention. He saw the group of boys and girls strewn about the lawn, books opened, and joined them. Hamilton seated himself behind Jake and tried not to distract Finn who was already deep in another thought provoking lecture. "So...if we were to look at the works of say...Shakespeare and let's say, set those stories into a different period in history, maybe even modern day. Would they be as effective...ah...Mr. Flemming?" Finn looked at Hamilton who looked down briefly and shook his head.  
  
"Well," Hamilton hesitated a bit trying to think of an answer having missed the first few minutes of the class "Romeo and Juliet pretty much sucked." The other students snickered in unison.  
  
"Very insightful Mr. Fleming...I'll assume you are referring to the recent Leonardo DiCaprio jaunt"  
  
"Yeah..." Hamilton said as he nodded his head.  
  
"And you were late this morning because you were at your house watching it on video?" Again, the students giggled.  
  
"Sorry Finn, I had to show some new student to the Rawley Girls campus."  
  
"Whoaaa... Oooooh" an amalgam of hoots and hollers rang out from amongst the testosterone filled students. Only one student didn't laugh. Jake turned around and looked at Hamilton.  
  
"So Ladies...Gentlemen...was Romeo and Juliet...gang land style... a bad idea...or just a bad movie?" Finn continued talking. Hamilton tried to pay attention but couldn't help concentrating on Jake who was sitting in front of him. As the early morning breeze blew he thought he could smell the light scent of her shampoo. Hamilton let out a long audible sigh.  
  
  
As Finn's class ended, Jake got up headed toward the steps of her dorm. "Jake,hey wait up." Hamilton ran a few steps to catch up. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. "Lunch? He asked.  
  
"Nah, not today, I've got to hit the library instead." Hamilton looked surprised.  
  
"Ok...are we studying together tonight? " He winked so that only she could see.  
  
"If you need to...I guess." She replied.  
  
Hamilton looked stunned. "Um...I could really use your help...in...um..." He glanced down at the books he held in his hand. "French?" He said with a sly grin, running his tongue noticibly over his teeth.  
  
"Yeah. Fine. I'll help you with your French after dinner."  
  
"Thanks." He said. "I'll see you tonight. Jake ran up the steps two at a time and never looked back. Hamilton stood, watching her and then he turned and headed for the dining hall.  
  
******************************  
  
Hamilton turned the knob on Jake's door and was surprised to find it locked. He knocked. "Jake?"  
  
"Who is it?" She called out remembering to use her lowered voice.  
  
"Hamilton...your study partner." He said smiling.  
  
Jake unlocked the door and let it fall open. She returned to her bed and sat down.  
Hamilton closed the door and locked it. He dropped his book bag on the floor next to her desk.  
  
"I don't feel much like studying tonight..." A gleam in his eye.  
  
"Gee...that's unusual" Jake said without expression.  
  
Hamilton walked toward Jake. "Hey there beautiful." He said, as he bent down to kiss her.  
Jake sat on her bed with a pillow propped at her back. Her text book was open in her lap. She looked up at Hamilton who was hovering over her.  
  
"Ok...so tell me again why you seem to spend as much time at the girls campus as you do at the boys?" Jake asked  
.  
Hamilton stood up and looked at her confused. "What?" He asked.  
  
"You're always there ushering some cute new chick all over campus. Can't Scout or Will have a turn once in a while?"  
  
"How'd you know she was cute?" He said purposely to irritate her.  
  
"Ughhhh! You know...sometimes you make it hard for me to like you...much less love you." Jake said.  
  
"Cut it out...you know my mother considers me Rawley Academy's Official Tour Guide Extrordinaire.." He chuckled. "What's got you so worked up anyway?"  
  
"Nothing really." She answered, lowering her eyes to the opened book.  
  
"Are you jealous, Ms. Pratt?" He grinned as he reached out his hand and touched her face.  
  
"Yeah right..."  
  
"Jake...you have nothing to worry about. Of course, a little jealously could be a good thing" He smiled as he lowered his head to kiss her again.  
  
Jake turned her head away from him and avoided his mouth. "I'm not jealous." She proclaimed.  
  
"I mean...jealousy just means that you love me...right? That you want me all to yourself and you don't want anybody else to have me." He laughed at how ridiculous his own words sounded.  
Hamilton crawled over Jake's body and tossed himself next to her in her bed. He smiled at her broadly although she didn't return his stare. He knew she loved him. He could tell. He knew that she felt self-conscious and "less than feminine" having to appear as a guy all the time. Hamilton knew there wasn't one girl at Rawley or anywhere...that could compare to Jake in his mind. He continued smiling at her until she looked at him  
  
"What? I am SO not jealous." She said again  
.  
He reached up and whispered into her ear, "Thank you."   
  
******************************  
  
Jake had seated herself next to Scout and in back of Hamilton for today's co-ed English session. She wished Hamilton could stretch out next to her as she saw Will doing with Caroline. Hamilton was okay with keeping her secret. He was very affectionate and loving when they were alone. But, she longed to be a normal couple. She felt a little silly about the scene she made the previous evening. She knew Hamilton loved her. She knew she had overreacted about the whole jealousy thing. She made a mental note to apologize after class...and make it up to him tonight. That thought alone brought a smile to her face.  
  
Finn had been talking for thirty minutes and Jake realized she hadn't been listening to a single word that he'd said.  
  
"Othello." Finn said, standing in front of the group and holding a small paperback in his hand. "I know that to a lot of young people this play must seem dreadfully boring and meaningless. One thing you can keep in mind is that the audience in Shakespeare's time did not have the benefit of things such as movies, and videos. Shakespeare's plays are not visually stimulating to an audience accustomed to today's entertainment media.  
  
Whoaa...Who is she?" Scout was mesmerized by the beautiful female vision approaching them.  
Melanie strutted onto the lawn. Her spiked heels sinking slightly into the soft ground. The short red form fitting dress she was wearing served to compliment her perfect figure as well as delight at least half of the imaginations that were seated before her.  
  
"Oh my God." Jake whispered in Hamilton's ear. "Could she be anymore obvious?"  
  
"Obvious?" Hamilton looked at her confused.  
  
"Hello...A little blinded by love there, Ham?" Scout said. "And, so WHO is she?" He repeated.  
  
"Ah...Melanie something." Hamilton answered. Scout, Will and Jake looked at him.  
  
"You holding out on us man?" Scout asked.  
  
"What? No. She's the girl I met yesterday. The new girl. The one who made me late for Finn's class." Hamilton said  
  
"You're always late for Finn's class" Will said grinning.  
  
"Well...she could make me late for class anytime" Scout winked.  
  
Melanie searched for an empty patch of grass. "You've got to be kidding me...sit on the ground?" She whispered with a loud sigh. She spotted Hamilton and stepped over a few drooling sophomores to join him. "Hamilton sweetie...can I have your shirt to sit on? This dress will cost a fortune to dry clean."  
  
Hamilton heard Jake sigh. He hesitated at first then removed the plaid flannel over shirt he was wearing and handed it to her. She didn't take it, she simply motioned with her finger instructing him to lay it out next to him. She carefully sat herself down holding onto his shoulder for stability. Jake scooted forward slightly. Hamilton felt the tops of Jake's crossed Indian-style knees pushing themselves into his back. He lowered his head and smiled slightly to himself.  
  
Melanie leaned in close to Hamilton's ear. "Did I miss anything?" She giggled slightly.  
  
"Nope" Hamilton said as he leaned away in the opposite direction.  
  
Finn continued, annoyed by her interruption, "As a play, Othello encompasses many things but more than anything else it is a study of pure evil."   
  
"Maybe I can get the notes from you after class?" She said.  
  
Jake's hand came forward dividing the pair. "Here..."She said, "You can borrow MY notebook." Jake smiled exaggeratedly. Hamilton covered his mouth with his hand trying not to let anyone see him laugh. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled sweetly at Jake. Hamilton shuffled backward a little trying to broaden the gap between himself and Melanie and position himself closer to Jake.  
  
"Jealousy people...is an enemy to all. Shakespeare will teach us this." Finn said. "Essays are due nex Tuesday. You may work in pairs. Ms. Manos...thank you for joining us today. But, as Mr. Flemming will attest...I arrive here on time and I'd appreciate it if you would be so kind as to do the same"  
  
Melanie blushed, "Sorry" She said and she smiled at Hamilton as if they shared some great inside joke. Finn ended the lecture and the students picked up their books and began to disperse.  
  
"Munchie...you'll work with me...right? Melanie asked assumedly. Jake felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise.  
  
"Please don't call me that." Hamilton said sternly, looking annoyed. "I don't even like it when my mother uses it."  
  
Ryder approached the group in his usual "holier than thou" fashion. He extended his hand toward Melanie in an effort to help her off the ground. Perhaps you would like to share the pleasures of the English language with an Englishman" He said in a thick British accent. For once...Jake was glad to see him. Melanie looked past Ryder and settled her gaze on Hamilton.  
  
"Thank you anyway, " She said, " Hamilton and I are going to work together on this one."  
  
Jake cleared her throat loudly. Scout couldn't help grinning to himself.  
  
"Um...actually Melanie...I've already got a partner...but maybe another time." Hamilton said as he smiled politely hoping that this would return him to Jake's good graces.  
  
Will and Caroline excused themselves from the group agreeing to meet up at Friendly's later in the afternoon. Scout, Jake and Hamilton walked toward the dining hall leaving a very distraught Melanie standing alone.  
  
"Well then..." Ryder said smiling.  
  
"Get lost" Melanie answered as she walked past him. 


	2. Part II

Seated at the lunch table, Hamilton looked at Jake. "I assumed you'd want to work with me?" He said.  
  
"I guess." Jake replied smiling back at him.  
  
"Want to start tonight?" Hamilton winked at her.  
  
"Ahem" Scout interrupted. "I'm eating here."  
  
"Jealous?" Jake asked him.  
  
"Of course." Scout admitted.  
  
Melanie carried her tray across the cafeteria and found the smiling group. She set her tray down. "Hi."  
  
"Hi," Scout said enthusiastically. "Would you like to join us?"  
  
Jake and Hamilton looked at Scout. Melanie didn't answer him, she simply pulled out an empty chair and sat next to Hamilton.  
  
"So, Melanie...what brings you here to New Rawley?" Scout asked.  
  
Melanie ignored his question and focused on the side of Hamilton's face. "Mr. Finn said that I could get a tutor to help me catch up in English." Melanie started, seemingly unaware of the other two at the table. "Could you tutor me?"  
  
Jake exaggeratedly pretended to choke on her bite.  
  
"Not if you plan on passing." Hamilton said sarcastically as he smiled at Jake.  
  
"I would be willing to help you." Scout said as he sat up straighter in his chair, "I'm doing very well in English.  
  
Melanie ignored him. "Would you think about it Hamilton...I really need the help."  
  
"You can sign up for a tutor through the English department, I know Will Krudski is a great tutor." Jake said.  
  
"Will Krudski...yes...he's my roommate, not to mention a close personal friend, I'm sure that I could..." Scout's words were cut off.  
  
"I really need your help Hamilton. You're my only friend here at the moment. You're the only one I'd feel comfortable with." Melanie batted her eyes at him.  
  
Jake stretched out her long legs and gently kicked Hamilton under the lunch room table. Hamilton stifled a grin.  
  
"Look, Melanie...I don't mean to be rude...but, I have a lot of things going on here and even if I could tutor you in English...I just don't have the time right now. Sign up through the English department...or talk to Will. That's my best suggestion." Hamilton said matter-of-factly and he resumed eating his lunch.  
  
Melanie slipped her hand under the table and placed it on Hamilton's thigh. "At least think about it." She said sweetly.  
  
Jake was seething in her own seat. Scout watched Jake's reaction and glared his eyes at her...he shook his head slightly reminding her to be cool...not to give away her charade.  
Jake got up from the table and took her tray to the trash. She dumped its contents and walked toward the exit door of the dining hall.  
  
Hamilton sighed out loud. "Damn" He said under his breath.  
  
"Well, this has been pleasant. If you change your mind Melanie..." Scout began and decided to save his breath. She wasn't noticing him anyway. Scout got up from the table as well, he gave Hamilton a look that Hamilton interpreted as, Don't worry...I'll find her and make sure she's ok. "See ya later at the diner" Scout said to Hamilton.  
  
"Thanks, man." Hamilton responded. Hamilton turned to face Melanie.  
  
"What's up at the diner?" Melanie said in a perky tone, oblivious to the events that had gone on before.  
  
"Melanie..." Hamilton turned to face her. He thought for a moment unsure of what he should say. "I didn't want to be rude before...but...I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm saying...Ok?"  
  
Melanie looked into his sapphire eyes...she was completely mesmerized. "Sure." She said in a soft moaning tone.  
  
"I can't help you. I don't want to be your English partner. I don't want to be your tutor. And, I am not your friend. Please..." He stopped.  
  
"My God, you have the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen." She said smiling at him.  
  
Hamilton sat stunned. He shook his head, picked up his tray and left her sitting alone at the table.  
******************************  
  
Scout headed for Jake's room. He knocked on the door. "Jake?" He said.  
  
Jake opened the door. Her reddened eyes made it obvious to him that she'd been crying. Scout stepped through the door and closed it behind him.  
  
"Jake...come on. Don't worry...really. Fleming is head over heels...nuts about you. And, ONLY you. Trust me." He said.  
  
"How can I compete with her?" Jake stuttered. "She's beautiful. Every guy on campus is drooling over her. And she's falling all over Hamilton."  
  
"You don't have to compete with anybody. And yes, some of us are drooling...but Ham's not. He's not even looking twice." Scout tried to reassure her.  
  
"Look at me." She said as she glanced in the mirror. "Why would anyone want me when they could have someone like her?" A single tear fell down her cheek as she looked at her masculine reflection.  
  
Scout stood behind her in the mirror. He placed his hands around her waist and gave her a gentle hug. "Give that guy some credit will you. You're beautiful inside an out. Hamilton knows that...Will and I know that. Bella knows that too. We like what we see. But Hamilton...that guy LOVES what he sees."  
  
"Really?" She asked, grinning slightly  
.  
"Really." He said. "So...are you OK?"  
  
"I guess." Jake responded, " I trust Hamilton. I'm just not so sure that I trust Melanie."  
  
Scout smiled at her. "I gotta run...I'll see you later at Friendly's?" He said moving toward the door.  
  
Jake nodded her head. "Scout..." Scout turned around. "Thanks." She said smiling at him.  
  
Scout winked at her and left.  
  
******************************  
  
The crowd was exceptionally light at Friendly's that evening. Will stood at the head of the booth, an apron wrapped around his waist. He took Jake's order. Jake was seated next to Hamilton and across from Bella. Scout was behind the counter topping ice-cream sundaes with mountains of whipped cream. "It's almost closing." Will said. "But I think I can get that fountain guy to squeeze in one more." Will said with a grin.  
  
"Thanks Will." Jake said.  
  
"So...what's up?" Bella asked. They had come to use the diner as their own local meeting spot. Since Bella attended a different High School she didn't get to see as much of her friends as she would have liked during the week. The five tried to meet here as often as they could.  
  
"Not much, really." Jake answered.  
  
Hamilton looked at Jake. He was surprised that she wasn't filling Bella in on Melanie and the days events. He thought that might be a good thing...maybe Jake had finally cooled off a bit.  
Scout approached the table with a dripping ice-cream sundae in hand. "Made with love..." He said as he set it down in front of Jake.  
  
"Hey Calhoun...are you flirting with my girl?" Hamilton said smiling.  
  
Scout looked at Jake and smiled. Jake smiled back.  
  
"Thanks Scout." Jake took the cherry from the top of the sundae and automatically held it up to Hamilton. Hamilton responded by opening his mouth and allowing her to drop the cherry in. He secured it between his teeth and she pulled off the stem.  
  
"You two better be careful." Bella said as she smiled. "Ryder is sitting right over there." Bella pointed to the stools that surrounded the counter.  
  
Jake and Hamilton looked over their shoulders, and then at each other. "Ooops," Jake said as she grinned.  
  
The little bell on the top of Friendly's door jingled announcing another customer.  
"Oh my God" Bella said as she looked at the newest patron. She wore a short leather mini skirt and a powder blue tank top that was, in Bella's opinion, cut way to low in the front.  
  
"What?" Jake asked. Before Jake had a chance to turn around...Melanie was standing at the end of the booth.  
  
"Hi Hamilton" She smiled.  
  
Hamilton looked down and gave out a long exhale. "Hi." He said.  
  
"Fancy running into you here tonight." Melanie said.  
  
"Not really...considering you heard us talking about coming here earlier today." Hamilton said sarcastically. Jake had to turn her head away to keep from grinning.  
  
"Can I join you?" She said as she seated herself next to Bella.  
  
"Hi. I'm Bella Banks." Bella said as she extended her hand.  
  
Melanie didn't even turn her head to look in Bella's direction. "I was thinking about you this evening Hamilton. I don't really know my way around here yet...and I was thinking you could show me the sights."  
  
"Welcome to New Rawley.." Hamilton said, "Where there are no sights."  
  
"Well, maybe a movie or something. I'm free tomorrow night."  
  
"I'm not" Hamilton responded.  
  
Bella sat in stunned silence. Who was this girl? And, why was she flirting with Hamilton right in front of Jake? Of course, she thought. She forgot sometimes that only a select few knew Jake's secret.  
  
Bella looked at Jake and saw the daggers in her eyes. "Hamilton...you already have a date tomorrow don't you? With your GIRLFRIEND?" Bella said, emphasizing the word, girlfriend.  
"Uh huh." Hamilton replied.  
  
"Is there a movie theater around here?" Melanie asked him.  
  
"Uh huh" Hamilton said...knowing it was pointless to talk to this girl.  
  
"Hello...." Bella said trying to get Melanie's attention. Bella felt compelled to fight on behalf of her best friend, especially since she was not in a position to fight for herself a the moment.  
  
"Do you want to pick me up...or should I pick you up?" Melanie asked.  
  
"Neither..." Bella chimed in. "He's not going to the movies with you...tomorrow night or any night."  
  
"I just bet you like action movies." Melanie said as she reached her finger into Hamilton's empty ice-cream dish and removed the last bit of fudge. She put her finger into her mouth and slowly extracted it. "I like action too." She smiled.  
  
Bella's mouth fell open. She looked at Jake who's teeth were clenched together tightly.  
  
"What is your problem?" Bella said as she grabbed the girls shoulder. Finally Melanie looked at her.  
  
"What?" Melanie barked at her. "Remove your hand from me." She said her sweetened voice now a full octave lower.  
  
"Remove yourself from our table." Bella said holding her own.  
  
Will and Scout had busied themselves cleaning up the restaurant in time for closing.  
"Ryder...do you want anything else?" Scout asked him.  
  
"Maybe a saucer of milk for table two." Ryder said watching the whole show with a smile.  
  
"What?" Scout asked, now following Ryder's stare. "Damn," Scout remarked.  
  
Will beat Scout to the booth. "Closing time kids. School day tomorrow" He said trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Hamilton will you walk me back to the dorm. I'm afraid I'll get lost in the dark." Melanie said.  
Jake sighed out loud. She wanted to say something. Instead she folded her arms across her chest and seethed.  
  
"Ryder can probably give you a ride back. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Hamilton said as he stood up.  
  
Hearing that Ryder approached the table. "I'd be happy too accommodate you Melanie." He smiled at her. She didn't look up.  
  
Melanie stood up from the booth. "Well, Munchie...I'll give you a call later. Ok?"  
  
"Don't waste your time" Bella said. Melanie ignored Bella again. "He's taken." She said for emphasis.  
  
"He certainly is." Melanie said. She extended her finger and ran it under Hamilton's chin. She walked past Ryder and out the door.  
  
"Who...or what...was that?" Bella said her eyes bulging and her mouth still open.  
  
"That...was Melanie." Jake said with an obviously uncomfortable look. "Quite a piece of work isn't she."  
  
"She certainly is." Ryder said smiling.  
  
"Not exactly what I was thinking." Bella said blushing. She smiled at Jake. Jake returned the grin.  
  
  
Hamilton walked Jake back to her dorm. "Can I come in for a little while?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"If you want." Jake answered less than enthusiastically. The pair walked up the steps and quickly walked the length of the familiar corridor that led to Jake's room.  
  
"Jake...come on. Don't worry about her. She'll eventually give up and go away." Hamilton said.  
  
"Don't be so sure. She strikes me as someone who goes after what she wants and then gets it." Jake said pacing. Hamilton sat down at Jake's desk.  
  
"You don't have to worry." He said.  
  
"Who says I'm worried."  
  
Hamilton laughed. He stood up and went to Jake encircling his arms around her. "You're the only girl I want." He said kissing her forehead. He hugged her tighter. "I love you."  
Jake buried her face into his shoulder so that he wouldn't see her worried look. She didn't doubt that he loved her or that she loved him. She just hoped that would be enough.   
  
  
  
The inclement weather had not lent itself to an outdoor English session. The dismal day saw Finn standing in front of a less than enthusiastic class. Finn seated himself on the edge of his desk. He held his paperback copy of Othello and bookmarked the page with his finger. "Although Othello is an accomplished professional soldier and a hero of sorts, he is also a minority and an outcast in many ways. He was a black man and he was a Moor." Finn saw the puzzled look on more than a few faces. "Which means he was a Moslem. He was married to a caucasion woman named Desdemona. Something not as readily accepted in Elizabethan times as it may be in today's society. Hence, the derogatory remark, 'the ram hath topped the ewe'."  
Finn heard the chuckles coming from the back of the room, prompting him to chuckle too. "Mr Fleming, how do you think Othello felt? How do you think he dealt with being considered an outcast?"  
  
Hamilton fidgeted in his seat. "Maybe he took up photography?" Scout smiled and Will covered his mouth to keep from laughing. Jake didn't laugh. She thought it was somehow sad that Hamilton felt he could relate to being different. He had always felt removed from the group just because he was The Dean's son.  
  
Finn smiled. "Mr Pratt. Any thoughts on the subject?"  
  
Jake thought for a moment. "I think everyone feels like like they don't belong at some point in their lives. But, once you find something or someone..." She avoided looking at Hamilton although she wanted to. "...special in your life, it helps to make you feel included...or like you fit in."  
  
"Very good, Mr Pratt Now, before we end for today... is there anyone else without a partner for the essay assignment?" No one responded. "Ok...Ms Manos...why don't you work in a threesome with..." He scanned the group. Hamilton lowered himself down in his seat hoping to disapear from the other contenders. Jake's stomach knotted tightly. "...Mr Pratt and Mr Fleming."   
  
"Great..." Melanie smiled and winked as she glanced over at Hamilton.  
  
"Great" Jake mumbled into her hand.  
  
Hamilton ran again to catch up with the sprinting Jake.  
"Jake, would you stop worring. I'm not the least bit interested in her."  
  
"But...she's interested in you!" Jake protested.  
  
"So what. Look, there's only one girl I'm interested in." He lowered his voice. Hamilton wished he could reach out an fold her into his arms. He wished he could kiss her...touch her. But, they were on the front steps of Rawley Academy and they both knew that was impossible.  
  
"Look, I'll see you tonight. Ok? Hamilton asked.  
  
"Ok." Jake said. "I'm looking forward to spending a little quality time with you anyway...Munchie." Jake mimicked.  
  
"I could almost learn to like the way it sounds when you say it." Hamilton grinned.  
  
"Bring your book with you." Jake reminded him.  
  
"Why?" He asked  
  
"It'll be easier to study that way." Jake shook her head and laughed as she answered him.  
  
"Right..." Hamilton drew out the word.  
  
******************************  
  
Later in the evening Hamilton had arrived in Jake's dorm room, book in hand. He kissed her lightly on the lips and she responded with a soft moan. "So, what do you want to study first?" He winked at her.  
  
"Hamilton...I'm sorry." She said.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"I know I've really been a real jerk about Melanie." Jake looked down embarressed. "It's just that I can't stand to see her throwing herself at you."  
  
"Throwing herself is OK...as long as I don't catch her, right?" He said smiling. "Jake...what do I have to do to make you believe that I don't care about her?"   
  
Jake looked into his eyes, "Care about me?" She said softly.  
  
Hamilton reached for Jake without hesitation. He enveloped her into his outstretched arms and kissed her forehead. "I do." He whispered softly into her hair. He pulled her body into his. He hugged her as if he would never let her go. He loosened his hold and looked at her face. "I love you." He said. "I love YOU Jake" He said again. "Are you listening...I love you!!!" He said getting slightly louder each time.  
  
"Shhh" Jake whispered. "Someone will hear you."  
  
"I want you to hear me. Can you? Can YOU hear me?" He asked raising his voice again.  
  
Jake nodded her head. "I know...and I love you too." She said as she playfully put her hand over his mouth.  
  
"I'm sorry...what did you say?" Hamilton put his hand to his ear.  
  
Jake grinned, "I love you too."  
  
"What?" He laughed.  
  
"Stop it Hamilton." She giggled. Hamilton pulled her mouth to his. He held her tightly as his tongue reached out to melt with hers. Hamilton walked forward, backing Jake up in the process. She felt the back of her knees against her bed. Hamilton pressed his body into hers and she fell backward pulling him down on top of her. They laughed once more and then their lips met again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Part III

Evenings at Rawley Academy brought little excitement except for the BayWatch bevy of beauties that bounced across the screen each Wednesday night. Scout and Will shared the couch in front of the set and watched hypnotically as another blonde bombshell ran in slow motion toward the waters edge. The door to the Common Room opened and Melanie walked in. She stood in front of the television to gain the attention of the awestruck males. "Where's Hamilton?" She asked.  
  
"Hello to you too. " Will said.  
  
"I just came from his house and his mother said that he was here." Melanie announced.  
  
"Then he probably is." Scout said.  
  
"So...where is he" She said sarcastically looking around the small room.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's not our turn to watch him tonight." Will retorted.  
  
"Is there something I can do for you Melanie." Scout said looking hopeful.  
  
"Hardly." She rolled her eyes at him.  
  
Scout returned his gaze to Yasmine Bleeth whom he now felt he had as much chance with as Melanie Manos.  
  
"Is he seeing someone?" She asked, her tone slightly softening in the hopes of gaining information.  
  
"What?" Will asked although he heard the question clearly.  
  
"I said...is he seeing someone?"  
  
"You sound like the jealous wife." Will responded.  
  
"Yes or no? She said ignoring the comment.  
  
Scout interupted. "Yeah, Hamilton is seeing someone. And, they're very happy."  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"You know...it's just none of your business." Will said standing up.  
  
"So is he here or not?" She asked finally.  
  
"If he is here...he's probably upstairs with Jake." Scout answered only then seeing the exasperated look on Will's face.  
  
Melanie stomped out past the two boys.  
  
"What a bitch." Will said.  
  
"Yeah...but she does smell nice." Scout said as he sniffed the air.  
  
  
Hamilton rolled over and pulled Jake up on top of his chest. He twisted his mouth to meet with hers. Jake broke the kiss. She looked down into his baby blues and smiled. Hamilton reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. "Believe me now?" He asked. "Because I can keep showing you...all night if thats what it takes." She allowed his hands to wander underneath the sweatshirt she was wearing.  
  
"I believe you." She smiled. Jake rolled to her side and Hamilton turned to face her in the bed.  
  
"We're not getting much studying done." Jake said.  
  
"I am. I'm studying you." Hamilton answered.  
  
Jake flinched when she heard the previously locked door knob turn roughly. Suddenly there was a heavy banging on Jake's dorm room door. "Hamilton!"  
  
Jake fell onto her back and exhaled. "What's she doing here?" She whispered.  
Hamilton shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"What should I do?" Jake whispered lower this time.  
  
"Ignore her...maybe she'll go away." Hamilton responded and turned to kiss Jake again.  
The banging continued louder. "Hamilton!"  
  
"She's gonna let everybody on the floor know that you're in my room, with ME!! " Jake said.  
  
She stood up adjusting the shirt she was wearing and went toward the door. Hamilton stood as well. Jake turned back from the door and rushed back toward the bed. She straightend the bed spread and tucked the pillow back underneath. As she passed Hamilton she ran her hands through his tosseled hair and whisped at his bangs. "She'll know." Jake whispered.  
  
"Hamilton!!" Melanie bellowed and she continued to alternate between loudly knocking and annoyingly banging on the door.  
  
Jake opened the door. "Hi Melanie. What's up?"  
  
Melanie pushed past Jake and entered Jake's dorm room.  
  
"Hamilton...Hi.." she said as she approached him. "Your mother said I would probably find you here."  
  
"And you did. What did you want?" He asked.  
  
"I need to talk to you...alone." She winked and turned to finally acknowledge Jake for the first time. "Do you mind..."  
  
"Ah yeah...it's my room." Jake answered.  
  
"Fine...it can wait til later Munchie." Melanie said.   
  
Hamilton sighed. "We...all three of us...have to find a time and a place to work on this English essay. Any suggestions?"  
  
"Wherever you are will be fine with me." Melanie purred. Jake rolled her eyes and leaned back against the door for support.  
  
"Library?" Jake suggested.  
  
"Good" Hamilton agreed. "Tommorrow...four o'clock?"  
  
"Fine with me" Jake answered.   
  
"So...Melanie. Four o'clock tomorrow, at the library. OK?" Hamilton said in her direction. "Good night."  
  
"Are you leaving?" Melanie said with a gleem in her eye.  
  
"No...but you are." Hamilton walked past Melanie and toward Jake and the door. Jake caught his eye and gave him a wry smile. He opened the door. "Good night Melanie. Se ya tomorrow."  
Hamilton gave Melanie no choice but to head for the door.  
  
"Goodnight Melanie" Jake called out. Jake was not surprised that Melanie did not respond to her kind words. Instead Jake chuckled as Hamilton pushed the door closed with her still in the threshold...ushering her out.  
  
Hamilton reached out for Jake and folded her into his outstretched arms. "Don't even say it." Jake said.  
  
"Say what?" Hamilton looked confused.  
  
"Don't tell me not to worry."  
  
"All I can do is keep telling you...you're the one who has to believe it." He whispered.  
  
"I do believe it...and you , she just scares me. That's all."  
  
"Yeah well she scares me too." Hamilton laughed. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. " Damn, I should probably get going. It getting late. I actually have to finish the reading," Hamilton held up the Othello paperback.  
  
"We could have read..." Jake said smiling.  
  
"We could have." He whispered into her ear and then turned his face to kiss her again.  
  
"I'll call you." He said as he got up.  
  
"I'm sure you will." She laughed.  
  
******************************  
  
Hamilton cut through the tree lined path with only the moonlight to guide his steps. He had almost reached the gate when he heard the familiar patter of canine feet. "Hey Georgia...hey puppy...?" He spoke to the dog in a slightly higher pitched voice. Hamilton thumped his chest an encourage the Golden Retriever to lift her paws and stand upright on her back legs leaning against him. The dog happily lapped at his face. "Good girl..." He said as he eased her back down to all fours. "And where is Cass...?" He asked the dog almost expecting an answer. The second Retriever hesitated a moment and walked slowly forward. "What do you have...?" He said to the approaching dog. The dog's collar was heavily laden with identification tags as well as a blue bell. The latter was an attempt to give the small animals a fighting chance. Instinctually Cassie had most definitely helped to thin the squirrel population in the area. The dog approached him and whined slightly. "What's up with you?" Hamilton asked the dog. It was then that he saw a shadowy figure a few yards in front of him. He slowed his pace. As the figure came toward him he recognized Melanie. "What are you doing here?" He asked.  
  
"I wanted to return this." She said holding out the shirt she had taken from him to sit on.  
  
Hamilton looked down at the faces of his two beloved dogs. "Some watch dogs you turned out to be.!!" He scolded. "Thanks." He said taking it from her. He continued toward the front gate of his house. "Good night."  
  
"Hamilton...wait." She called to him.  
  
Hamilton hesitated. He exhaled loudly hoping she would hear his frustration.  
  
"Melanie..." He started, "it's late. I really need to get home. I've got homework and stuff...to do. Ok?"  
  
Melanie stepped toward him. "It's so dark out here." She said, ignoring his words. "Maybe you could walk back with me?" She asked.  
  
"You found your way here...you can find your way back." He suggested.  
  
"Please..." She cooed.  
  
"It's late...this..." He held up the shirt, "...could have waited 'til tomorrow."  
  
"I know." She blushed and look down demurely. "Please...I don't like the dark."  
  
Hamilton hung the shirt on the gate. He exhaled looking annoyed. He walked on ahead of her. "Well, come on." Melanie smiled at her success and ran a step or two to catch up. The Golden Retrievers trotted along behind and were grateful for the chance to explore.  
  
Hamilton led her the shortest way he knew. Still, the walk to Rawley girls took about fifteen minutes. "Ok...there you go. See ya tomorrow."  
  
"Want to stay for a bit?" She asked. "We could work on that essay a little."  
  
"No...we have to work with Jake too, remember?" Hamilton said.  
  
"I know...what a drag, huh?" She said approaching Hamilton and laying her hands against his chest. "Two's company...three's...."  
  
Hamilton stepped back allowing her hands to drop. "If I've done anything...to give you the impression that I'm..." Hamilton stopped not to sure how to say what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry, Melanie...but I've got... I mean...I'm sort of...well, involved with someone. Someone else."  
  
"Someone here at Rawley Girls?" She asked.  
  
"Um...not really...she doesn't go to YOUR school."  
  
"Well...if she's not here...then what are you worried about. I CAN keep a secret Munchie...and she'll never have to know about us." She winked as she let her hands encircle his waist.  
  
"There is no...US!" Hamilton said as he forcefully broke her grip. Hamilton walked back through the trees. "Come on girls..." He called out to the dogs.  
  
"Well....there will be...Munchie...there will be." She said softly to herself.  
  
  
  
The phone rang in the Fleming home. "Hello." Kate Fleming said.  
  
"Hi Mrs. Fleming, it's Jake, I'm sorry to call so late.  
  
"That's OK Jake, how are you?"  
  
"Fine thanks." Jake remembered to keep her voice low. "Could I speak to Hamilton for a minute...I have a question on the homework assignment?"  
  
"Sure Jake...I'll have him call you as soon as he comes home. Is that all right?"  
  
"He's not home?" Jake questioned.  
  
"Not yet, dear." She said politely. Jake looked at her watch.  
  
"No...that's OK. I'll get someone else to help me. Thanks anyway" Jake hung up the phone.   
  
  
  
Jake sat alone at a corner table in the dining hall and munched on a bowl of cereal. She stared out the window, scattered thoughts filling her mind. Scout approached her with a tray in his hand. "This seat taken?" He smiled.  
  
"Morning," She said and continued with her cornflakes.  
  
"Were you up late again…?" He said teasing her.  
  
Jake smiled weakly not wanting to explain. Hamilton entered the dining hall. He scanned the room and his eyes settled on Scout and Jake in the corner. He went to join them.  
  
"Hey" Hamilton said as he pulled up a chair. He helped himself to the apple that sat on Jake's tray.  
  
"Hey" She responded.  
  
Hamilton could sense there was a problem The tension was radiating from her.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing." She said.  
  
"Jake...come on. What's up? Did Calhoun make a pass at you again?" He chuckled.  
  
"Hey...hey...I resent that." Scout retorted.  
  
"You're looking all upset." Hamilton questioned her.  
  
"You forgot to call last night." She said.  
  
"Well...I'm full. " Scout said as he stood and picked up his tray. "I think I see Will over there somewhere." Scout pretended to look around. He actually had no idea where Will was but, he sensed he did not want to be a part of the upcoming conversation. "Catch you later." Scout stood up and made his exit.  
  
"You're right. I'm sorry. I forgot." He stuttered.  
  
"You forgot?" This seemed odd to Jake.  
  
"Yeah...When I got home last night my folks were already asleep...so I just headed upstairs and crashed." He explained.  
  
"Really." Jake said. She knew he was lying.  
  
"Really. I'm sorry. I should have called." He apologized again.  
  
"You know what. It's no big deal." But it was. Jake stood up and lifted her tray. Hamilton sat alone at the table for another moment. He had a bad feeling. He didn't like to lie to her but he thought it would upset her more if she knew he had walked Melanie home last night. He thought it best to say nothing and see how it went.  
  
  
Jake left her geometry class later in the day and headed back to the dorm to dump her books and change. She unlocked the door and her foot slid on a small piece of paper that lay on the floor. Jake bent over and picked it up.  
  
Jake,  
Change in plans.  
The library at 6pm instead.  
See you there.  
Hamilton.  
  
"Mmmmm" She thought out loud. She threw her backpack on the bed and reached under her sweatshirt and removed her corset. A wave of comfortable relief washed over her. Now that she had a little time to kill she thought she'd go into town and visit Bella.  
  
Hamilton arrived at the library ten minutes before four. Melanie was already seated at a table. She was flipping through a fashion magazine and didn't see him enter. Hamilton considered waiting outside for Jake to arrive so that they could walk in together. But, on second thought Hamilton decided to approach the table and use the time to make Melanie even more aware that he was "taken".  
  
"Hi." He said.  
  
"Hello Hamilton, " She beamed up at him. Hamilton seated himself at the table across from her. "Where's Jack?"  
  
"Jake." He said. "I'm sure he'll be here in a minute."  
  
"Listen..." Melanie whispered as she put her hands on top of his. "I pulled this great essay off the Internet this morning. Why don't we just hand that in as ours and get out of here...do something a little more...entertaining?   
  
Hamilton looked at Melanie. He took his hands out from under hers and stuffed them in his pockets. "Jake would never go for that."  
  
"Who cares what Jack thinks?" She said dismissivley.  
  
"Jake." Hamilton corrected her again.  
  
"Whatever...He's not here. Maybe he's not coming. Come on Hamilton...let's get out of here.  
  
"No" Hamilton said.  
  
Melanie exhaled loudly, relaxing back into the chair and crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Oh...you know what? I forgot my book." Melanie suddenly realized.  
  
"So...go get it." Hamilton said.  
  
"Will you come with me?" She asked.  
  
"No" He answered.  
  
Melanie sat and pouted. "Please Hamilton..." Her bottom lip was curled out in front of her.  
  
"This..." Hamilton pointed around him. "is a library. Why don't you get a copy off the shelf to use while we're here?  
  
"Good idea. Come on...it will be quicker if we both look." She said as she stood. Hamilton checked his watch and then looked toward the door. He was surprised Jake hadn't arrived yet. Unlike him, she was never late. Hamilton thought for a moment and then stood up.  
  
"Mmmm. Under "P" for Plays? Or under "O" for Othello?" She asked out loud.  
  
"How about "S" for Shakespeare." He said sarcastically.  
  
"Right." She walked through the long rows of shelved books stacked six high. She had a purpose to her step as if she knew exactly where she was going. She glanced back at Hamilton who was following her lead but at a much slower pace. "I know, how about "B" for Boring?" She giggled. "or "E" for pure evil. I love the way Mr. Finn said that. She repeated the comment stretching out the word "Pure" as she walked backwards in the small row. Hamilton grinned.  
  
"Or "J" for Jealousy." He added smiling mostly to himself as he briefly thought about Jake.  
  
Melanie stopped walking backwards and stood waiting for Hamilton to take the extra step and catch up to her. They were facing each other.  
  
"We're here." She said. Hamilton stretched to look at the books on the higher shelves.  
  
"Man.....there's a lot. Ok...let's get you a copy of Othello and get back to the table.  
  
Jake'll be here any second. Melanie squatted down to view the lower shelves. "Down here" she said. Hamilton squatted beside her. His eyes scanned the book shelf lengthwise...singing the alphabet to himself. There was an empty space where a few copies of Othello would have been.  
  
"Look's like they're out." Melanie said. Melanie lurched backward grabbing out for his arm and knocked Hamilton off balance. He fell forward, accidentally stretching out on top of her.  
  
"Oops" Melanie giggled. "I guess the "ram hath topped the ewe" She said laughing. Hamilton couldn't help laughing too. But, his smile faded quickly as Melanie locked her hands around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. Hamilton braced his arms and pushed himself backward. He rolled backward onto his knees and stood up...towering over her. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth as if to wipe her kiss away.  
  
"What are you doing?" He said disgustedly.  
  
Melanie lay sprawled on the floor of the library and extended her hand to him so that he could help her up. Hamilton walked backward a few steps and then turned on his heels. He walked right into Ryder who had been standing at the end of the row viewing the entire scene.  
  
"Hello luv" Ryder said with a smirk.   
  
Hamilton pushed past Ryder and headed for the table where his backpack was. He collected his things and headed for the library door. Ryder took steps toward Melanie. He extended his hand and offered to help her up. Melanie ignored him and grabbed out to the bookshelves for support. She stood. "I was going to call you." Ryder said sincerely.  
  
"Yeah...and I was going to hold my breath" Melanie said as she walked around him leaving him standing alone in the row surrounded by Shakespeare.   
  
Melanie headed back to the table. She picked up her purse and her magazine and walked past the library's large oak desk. She hesitated a moment in front of the Library's book return bin and pulled down the handle on the door. From her purse she extracted three library copies of Othello. She tossed them in and headed out of the library.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Part IV

Jake leaned against the single gas pump. She talked mostly to Bella's backside as it protruded from under a cars lifted hood. "So...how are things with you?" Jake asked.  
  
"Fine." Bella answered as she tinkered.  
  
"That's good." Jake said looking down at her feet. Bella backed up and closed the hood of the car with a bang. She reached out for a rag and wiped off her grease covered hands.  
"Ok...tell me what's wrong." She said looking at Jake.  
  
"Wrong?" Jake looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Yeah...I can hear it in your voice. Let me guess first though...It has something to do with that witch Melanie doesn't it?" Bella asked. Jake smiled at her. The two girls headed into the service station and Jake recounted to Bella the past evenings events.  
  
Jake sipped at a coke she had purchased from the machine. "Maybe he did...just forget?" Bella said hopefully.  
  
"Bella...I called his house. His mother was very much awake when I spoke to her. It takes five minutes for him to walk five-hundred yards to his house. He wasn't there. He wasn't home yet." Jake answered.  
  
"Maybe he went out to walk the dogs first...or something." Bella suggested.  
  
"Thanks...but I don't think so." Jake smiled at Bella knowing she was grabbing at any idea so that Jake wouldn't feel so hurt.  
  
"Did you ask him?" Bella asked.  
  
"Not quite. After he lied to me at breakfast this morning...I didn't know what to say." Jake said.  
  
"Well, I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt here. Just ask him." Jake contemplated Bella's words.  
  
"Well, I have to meet him and HER at the library at six. " Jake shuddered dramatically. "So, if I live through that experience...maybe I'll talk to him later."  
  
Bella looked at her watch. "You've still got some time to kill...let's head over to Friendly's and drown YOUR sorrows in a hot fudge sundae.  
  
Jake smiled. "My treat." Bella ran inside to tell her Dad where she was going and the two girls crossed the street to the diner.  
  
"Ladies..." Scout cleared his throat and raised his voice for the spectators. "...And gentlemen." He said as he wiped off the counter in front of them. "What will it be today?"   
Jake and Bella placed their orders and Scout left to scoop the ice-cream.  
  
"Do you really have to work with her on this essay?" Bella asked.  
  
"Yeah...Finn sort of threw us together." Jake answered. "Hopefully one session together will do it. That's about all I can take." Jake grinned slightly.  
  
"You'll be fine." Bella said sympathetically. "You have Hamilton on your side."  
  
Ryder's voice echoed from the other end of the counter. "Hello kids...Aren't you cute. Is this a date or something? " He said. Both girls exhaled loudly. Ryder proceeded to slide, uninvited, from his end of the fountain to theirs. "Fancy meeting you here." He said.  
  
"It's a small town Ryder." Jake said.  
  
"And getting smaller by the minute." Bella said.  
  
"Dear, dear ... aren't we a bit biting this afternoon. What's this Pratt...are you finally checking out how the rest of us do it?" Ryder smiled.  
  
"Shut up, Ryder" Jake said lowering her voice.  
  
"Look around Ryder...I'm sure there are some unsuspecting girls around you could annoy." Bella said.  
  
"Yes.....but unfortunately the one I'm interested in...seems to be taken.  
  
"And what unlucky girl would that be?" Jake asked, not really wanting to know.  
  
"The fair maiden Melanie..." He answered.  
  
"Ugh..." Just the sound of her name made Jake shiver. "Ryder...I never thought I'd be saying this...but even YOU are to good for her." Jake said.  
  
"Well...Mr. Pratt, coming from you I'll take that as a compliment." Ryder smiled. "I'm only sorry that Mr. Fleming got to her first."  
  
Jake choked when she heard Hamilton's name mentioned. "What?" She attempted to question him casually.  
  
"Mmmm" He nodded." I just saw young Hamilton Fleming and the lovely Ms. Manos playing tonsil hockey at the library." Jake checked her watch again. It was only five. She got up off the stool and headed toward the door. Ryder smiled, quite pleased with himself, as his eyes followed Jake to the door.  
  
Scout arrived setting two sundaes on the counter.   
"Jake!" Bella called out...but she knew it was pointless to go after her.  
  
Ryder snatched the cherry from the top of one sundae and popped it into his mouth. "Well...cheerio kids." He confidentially strode out of the diner.  
  
  
  
  
Jake raced back to school. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She used the time to rationalize the meaning of Ryder's observations. She ran up the front steps of Rawley Academy and down the main hallway to the library. She burst in through the doors, the noise causing several heads to lift from their required reading. Jake slowed her pace and took a breath. She glanced around the library but couldn't find either of the familiar faces she was looking for. She exhaled in frustration and exited the library, heading back toward the dorms.   
  
Jake walked through the empty Common Room to the stairway that led to her second floor room. She stopped cold when she saw Melanie standing on the bottom step. Jake slowly approached her...but said nothing.  
  
"Hi Jack." Melanie began coyly. "Sorry you couldn't join us this afternoon."  
  
"Jake...and I thought it wasn't..." Melanie cut off Jake's sentence.  
  
"Look Munchie and I....I mean Hamilton and I work really well together. We got a lot accomplished. And, we were thinking that maybe it would be better if you worked with another group. Maybe that Callahan guy...or something."  
  
Jake stood in stunned silence. She studied Melanie carefully.  
  
"Ok? Thanks. Buh-bye" Melanie gave a little wave as she turned she left not bothering to wait for a response.  
  
Jake trudged up the steps. She stopped outside her door and ran her hand along the top of the door jam to find her key. It wasn't there. She turned the knob and found her room unlocked. Jake carefully pushed opened the door and hesitated before entering.  
She saw Hamilton stretched out on her bed reading a paperback.  
  
"Hey..." He smiled at her. "Where were you?"  
  
Jake entered the room. She was confused by his question. She wasn't sure if she wanted to run to him, pounce on top of him and kiss him...begging him to leave Melanie and come back to her. Or, if she wanted to pick something up and hit him really, really hard with it. She circled the room like a tiger in a cage.  
  
"What do you mean...where was I?" She said glaring at him.  
  
"We were supposed to meet at the library at four." Hamilton said, an attempt to jog her memory.  
  
"Yeah...well two's company...three's a crowd." Jake said.  
  
The words created a small shiver that ran down the back of Hamilton's spine. "What?" He responded.  
  
"I got your note. I was going to head over to the library at six. But, I guess you had made other plans." She said angrily.  
  
"What note?" He asked.  
  
"Look...I really don't care." She lied. "If you've made your choice...that's fine. Just don't lie to me. Don't make me look like a fool." Jake tossed her backpack on the desk.  
  
"Jake...I'm sorry..." Hamilton looked at her very confused.  
  
"You two can work together if you want...I don't care. You can do whatever you want together. I don't care!" Jake raised her voice as she ranted.. "I just want out! I want out of this relationship, if that's even what you call it." Jake paced back and forth. "I don't want to be a part of your life anymore and I want you out of mine. This is it...Good-bye Hamilton. Forever." Jake turned and walked out of the door and slammed it loudly for emphasis. She left a stunned Hamilton sitting on the bed in complete bewilderment.  
  
A moment later the dorm room door reopened and Jake walked in. She looked down at the floor. "This is my room...you get out." She said, embarrassed.  
  
Hamilton remained on the bed. His confused look turned first into a grin then into a chuckle as he looked at Jake standing in the middle of her room.  
  
"Jake...honey...?" Hamilton stood up and went to her. "What's going on with you?" He held out his arms and attempted to hold her.  
  
"Don't Jake, honey...me." She said backing away from him. "You were at the library...with Melanie. Weren't you?"  
  
"You knew that...you were supposed to be there too." He responded. "We waited for you."  
  
"And while you were waiting for ME...you decided to make out with HER?" Jake retorted.  
  
Hamilton was silent for a moment. "Ryder." He whispered. "Ryder told you that...didn't he?" He asked.  
  
"Who cares who told me. The fact is...at least I know. I know where I stand." Jake was hyperventilating now. Her eyes were misty. Hamilton reached out and grabbed Jake and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she struggled against him.  
  
"Jake...stop it. I was not making out with Melanie. She kissed me...once...and I took off out of the library and came here. I let myself in with your key and I waited here...for YOU. I guess you and Bella were right. She does seem to have a "thing" for me. But I don't have a "thing" for her." Jake had stopped struggling half way through his speech. Hamilton loosened his grip on her but did not let her escape the confines of his arms Jake looked up at him. Her instinct was to believe him. He had never lied to her before.  
  
"What about last night?" She asked.  
  
"What about last night? He said.  
  
"I called your house. " Hamilton exhaled surprised that his lie had caught up with him so quickly. "Your mother said you weren't home yet. Where were you? Where did you go? " A tear fell off her cheek.  
  
Hamilton closed his eyes for a moment. "Jake..." He opened them. "When I was going home last night...Melanie was there...waiting for me." Jake began to struggle again and Hamilton held firm on his grip. "This...is why I didn't want to tell you. She was at the gate...with my shirt. Then she complained about not wanting to walk home in the dark. Blah...blah...blah...and I guess...I fell for it. I was stupid. I didn't see it coming. So, the dogs and I walked her back and left it at that. Then I walked back to my house and I sat and thought about what I should do. I felt pretty guilty...even though I had NOTHING to be guilty about. But, I guess I thought you'd hear it in my voice or something...and then you'd be upset. And..." Hamilton looked across at the top of her head. "...I guess I would have been right." Hamilton continued to hold Jake in his arms. Finally he let his arms fall down to his sides. "I'm sorry Jake. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the complete truth." Hamilton looked and sounded sincere. "If you still want me to go...I will."  
  
Jake backed up a few steps and looked at him. He looked completely sincere. Jake wanted it to tell him to leave...but she couldn't. She believed him.  
  
"Jake...come on. I love you, and only you." Hamilton said. Jake melted into his arms.  
  
"I know I should be furious with you...but I can't help it. I believe you." Jake whispered.  
  
"Of course you should believe me...I'm telling you the truth." Hamilton said. Jake looked directly into his blue eyes. "well...now." He added.  
  
Jake chuckled a little. She exhaled again in frustration and he rubbed her back.  
"Tell you what, let's get out of here for a while. It's a nice night...let's take a walk by the lake or something and totally forget about Melanie. What do you say?" He looked hopeful.  
  
"Who?" Jake smiled.  
  
"Exactly.... Let's go." Hamilton said as he put his arm around her shoulder lead her out the door.  
  



	5. Part V

The screen door opened at Bank's Service Station and Will walked in. "Hi Charlie." He said to Bella's step-dad. "Where's that cute little blonde grease monkey you got working for you these days?" Will smiled.  
  
"She's upstairs Will...in her room. You remember the way?" Charlie said looking completely comfortable with the idea of Bella having a sixteen year old boy in her bedroom. After all, it was only Will and he and Bella had been best friends since they were little. Will climbed the familiar stairs that led to Bella's room. He knocked on the door and then turned the knob and walked in.  
  
"Hi." He said.  
  
"Hi...did you find them?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah...I had to search around in my mother's attic for a while...but I finally found them. Are these what you're looking for?" Will held up a a few 8x10 pictures that were housed in dusty cardboard frames.  
  
"Yesh...you found them. Great." She took the pictures from Will and he seated himself beside her on the bed. Bella and Will looked at the first picture. It was their third grade class. She was seated in the front row with two long blonde braids framing her face. Her smile alone brightened the picture. Will stood in the back row as he always did being one of the taller boys in school. He wore a white overly starched collared shirt and a tie with the knot pulled two inches below his top button. Bella laughed when she pointed to him. Will just smiled. Bella scanned the rest of the faces and put the picture down. She picked up their first grade class picture and looked at it carefully. She wore a pink gingham dress and white knee socks. Her golden hair fell down around her shoulders. "I look like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in that dress." She smiled.  
  
"I'll get you my pretty...and your little dog too." Will mimicked in the best wicked witch voice he could manage.  
  
They both chuckled. Will looked at the Kindergarten picture. "I was such a stud back then." He grinned.  
  
He turned the picture to where Bella could see it too. Will stood in the back row. He wore a plaid short-sleeved dress shirt and a bow tie that didn't match. His hair was short...and even shorter in the front where he remembered cutting a large chunk of his bangs when he stumbled across his mothers haircutting shears. "Man was she mad at me." Will smiled thinking about his mother. "She said it looked bad for business to have the local hairdressers son be the only one with a bald spot." Will and Bella laughed.  
  
"Look at me? Look at those pigtails. In this one I look like Cindy Brady with my front teeth missing." Bella said.  
  
"I liked Cindy. Ok...that's a lie. I liked Marcia. But, I could have learned to like Cindy" Will responded. Bella punched him in the arm.  
  
"So...what exactly is the purpose of this stroll down memory lane." Will asked. Bella looked carefully again at the pictures. She picked up the last picture Will had brought. She stared at each face in Miss Murphy's fourth grade class.   
  
"Will, look at her." Bella said as she pointed to the object of her search. Sitting in the front row of the class photo was a heavy set young girl with small dark eyes.  
  
"Yeah...who is she? I don't remember her at all." Will said.  
  
"She was only here for like one year and then her family moved away. She lived in that big brown house on the corner, the one with the fence, near the school. " Bella continued.  
  
"Ok Bella...so...who is she?" Will asked again.  
  
"That girl's name...is Melanie Manos." Bella stared at Will.  
  
"What? Are you sure? Do you think that's the same Melanie?" Will asked.  
  
"I don't know for sure. But I am sure that girl's name was Melanie Manos. "Bella said again as she pointed to the picture.  
  
"I don't remember her." Will stared at the eyes of the young girl in the picture. She seemed to stare back at him from behind thick dark rimmed eyeglasses. Her smile was cock-eyed as she tried to keep her mouth closed in an attempt to conceal the silver braces hidden inside. Her hair was long and dark and combed partially over her face. It's texture looked to be coarse and wiry and gave her a slight resemblance to a "Lizzie-Hi" doll. The front of her white blouse contained a small but noticeable stain from whatever that days lunch offering had been. Her pudgy cheeks were flushed a deep red. She was extremely heavy for a girl of her age. All the girls in the front row, including Bella, had their ankles delicately crossed over to the right as the photographer had probably instructed them. Melanie looked as though she had tried too, but was unsuccessful. Instead the knee socks she wore appeared to be cutting off the circulation to her dimpled knees.  
  
"I would never have recognized her from this picture. You're really good Nancy Drew." Will said grinning. "If it is her...the same Melanie from fourth grade, why didn't she tell us she used to live here?" Will asked.  
  
"That's just it." Bella answered. "I don't know."  
  
******************************  
  
Jake and Hamilton stopped by the dining hall and picked up a sandwich and a few snacks to take to the lake. They had settled into one of the row boats that had been tethered to the dock. They shared the sandwich, and as was usual, Hamilton got the bigger half. The little boat rocked gently on the water as the sun set behind them. They both enjoyed the peace, the quiet and each others company.  
  
Jake reached over to the paper bag that was acting as a table cloth. She picked up the glass Snapple bottle and turned it upside down and watched as the drop slowly fell onto the bottom of the boat. "Did you drink it all? Jake asked.  
  
"Did you want some?" Hamilton asked looking guilty.  
  
Jake rolled her eyes. "Would it matter now if I did?" She retorted.   
  
"Sorry." He smiled at her.  
  
Jake stretched out her legs and crossed her ankles. She glanced up at the sky. "This is nice." Jake said.  
  
"Yeah...it is." Hamilton answered. "Know what would be nicer?" He asked. Jake looked up at him for the answer. "If you were sitting over here with me." He pointed to the empty space next to him.  
  
Jake smiled at him. "I wish."   
  
"Come here." He pointed with his crooked index finger.  
  
Jake looked around at the deserted docks. The grassy hillside that fronted Rawley Academy was empty. The evening's darkness blanketed the couple...tempting Jake. "I don't know..."   
  
"Come on..." Hamilton looked around himself. "No one's around...come on."  
  
Jake hesitated for a moment...then...taking a deep breath...scooted over to where Hamilton was seated. "This won't look good for you if we get caught out here." She said.  
  
"It won't look good for you either, Mr. Pratt." He answered. Hamilton smiled and put his arm around her.  
  
"You are feeling brave tonight." Jake said.  
  
"Just happy." He responded. Jake backed up a little and relaxed herself into him.  
  
"Hey...I think someone's coming!!" Hamilton said with alarm. Jake ducked forward but the sides of the boat wouldn't cover her. Hamilton lurched forward and sprawled himself on the floor of the boat. "Down here!" He whispered loudly. Jake dropped down to her knees and fell gently on top of Hamilton. He rolled up to his side to giver her more room.  
  
"Who do you think it was?" Jake asked.  
  
"I don't know." He answered.  
  
"Male or female?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know." He answered.  
  
"Were they coming down toward the docks?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know." He answered again. Jake looked at him as he grinned. Hamilton reached out and pulled her into him. As her head rested on his bent elbow...he reached over and kissed her. She responded to his mouth and the warmth of the evening air seemed to intensify. Jake broke the kiss. She smiled back at him.  
  
"You didn't see anybody...did you? She asked.  
  
Hamilton's eyebrows rose and fell. "I don't know. " He said.  
  
"Hamilton..." Before she could say another word his mouth had found hers again. It had been days since they had been alone together without interruption. And Jake reveled in how good it felt to be with Hamilton. She loved the feel of his arms around her.  
Hamilton and Jake clung to each other. He covered her face with kisses and settled his mouth on the soft spot of her neck. She tangled her legs with his and rubbed his back with the hands she had tightly wrapped around him.   
  
A twig snapped in the distance. The sound obscured by the frenzied breathing at the waters edge. Melanie stood back from the dock not wanting to be seen. She watched Hamilton intensely. She imagined herself taking the place of the young girl lying beneath him. She promised herself that soon...Hamilton would love her. He would come to appreciated how hard she'd worked for him. He'd know how special she'd become. He'd recognize how beautiful she was. And,he would be hers. Melanie left the pair and walked the familiar path to Rawley Girls.  
  
Hamilton held his position on top of Jake. They enjoyed another mind numbing kiss until Jake felt as though she needed air. "Hamilton...air"  
  
"Nope...no air until you tell me you love me." He kissed her again.  
  
"Ok...I love you" She said smiling.  
  
Hamilton lifted his body and hung over Jake for a few seconds. He rolled to his side and pulled her into him again. "I don't want leave this place." He whined.  
  
"Ever?" She said, opening her eyes widely.  
  
"I mean tonight," He said.  
  
"I know what you meant. Me either." Jake replied.  
  
"But...it is getting late. This was nice. Let's do it again...soon." She smiled kissing him.  
  
"Tomorrow?" He said with a hopeful look.  
  
"Maybe..." She teased.  
  
"Tomorrow." He said sternly and leaned in for another kiss. "Come on I'll walk you back."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Ok people...I know it's Friday afternoon and you're all looking forward to a little R&R this weekend. So, let's just finish up our discussion of Othello." A collective groan fell over the students. "Oh...come on. Work with me here." Finn said. "What is remarkable in this play is the tension between conflicting forces. Between the honest Othello and the evil Iago; between the 'angel' Desdemona and, the 'devil' Othello. Between illusion and truth; jealousy and trust; appearances and proof; good and evil, black and white..."  
  
Melanie had seated herself to Hamilton's left. Today her leather cropped pants made it more convenient to sit on the ground...but the high heel shoes continued to be a problem for her. "He is so boring..." She whispered.  
  
Hamilton did not respond. He continued to watch Finn speak although he wasn't really paying that much attention. He took the chance to daydream about meeting Jake later at the dock.  
  
"Well?" Melanie said as she knocked Hamilton's arm to get his attention.  
  
"What?" Hamilton looked at her.  
  
"Tonight is good for me." She said  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hamilton got up and moved past Scout who was seated to his immediate right. Hamilton wanted to be closer to Jake and as far away from Melanie as possible. Scout seized the moment and was just about to scoot over closer to Melanie when Ryder came out of nowhere and jockeyed for position.  
  
"Ryder!" Scout said.  
  
"Sorry mate." Ryder responded. He turned toward Melanie. "So, luv. What do you say you and I take a lovely moonlight drive this evening?"  
  
"And what part of 'Get Out Of My Sight' are you not understanding?"  
  
Finn continued. "Like King Lear, like Oedipus, Othello is blind to the truth and only realizes it too late." Finn focused on one yawning student. Finn stopped long enough to breathe deeply. "Ok...let's call it quits for today. Papers are still due on Tuesday. Questions? Comments? Concerns? See me after class."  
  
  
The boys and girls stood and Hamilton stretched his arms over his head allowing his T-shirt to lift. As Melanie walked by she reached out and drew a line down his taut stomach with her finger. "Mmmm...yummy" She smiled as she drew her tongue over her lips for effect. Hamilton pulled his shirt down quickly as if he had been burned.  
  
He ran a few steps to catch up to Jake and Scout. "Man...that girl gives me the creeps. What am I going to do to get rid of her?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"Well,you could give her to me." Scout suggested.  
  
"Nah,not this one. She's...she's...I don't know. She's scary." Hamilton responded.  
  
"Well, it's a great day for crew." Jake said wanting to change the subject from Melanie to just about anything else.  
  
"Spoken like someone who doesn't have to row." Scout smiled.  
  
Scout and Hamilton walked toward the locker room while Jake ran on ahead to her room to change for practice.  
  
The sunset was beautiful on the lake. Jake tried to concentrate on the rower's form...but found herself thinking mostly about floating alone in the row boat with Hamilton the night before. She tried to avoid looking directly at him, although each time she stole a glance...she found him staring back at her. Scout poked Hamilton in the back and motioned with his finger to the left side of the boat. Hamilton followed Scout's direction and saw Melanie seated on the bank. A frustrated sigh escaped from Hamilton's mouth.  
  
As crew ended Hamilton sped back to the locker room with the group hoping to avoid Melanie completely. Under the privacy of the showers, he began to relax. Scout showered in the next stall.  
  
"Hamilton...man...what's up with her anyway? He asked.  
  
"She's nuts" Hamilton answered confidently.  
  
Jake burst into the nearly empty locker room with Will on her heels. Scout grabbed for a towel and quickly wrapped it around him.  
  
"Hey! Are you supposed to be in here?" Scout asked.  
  
"Would you believe they won't let me in the girls locker room." She answered him with a surprised look on her face. "Hey, you don't know how much easier it is for me now that you know my secret. I mean...I used to have to be in here while you guys were strutting around the locker room buck naked...comparing the size of your biceps. I used to have to try to look away." Jake took a step toward Scout and whispered. "But...sometimes I peeked." She giggled.  
  
"You are SO grossing me out" Scout grunted as he pulled his towel tighter around him.  
  
Hamilton chuckled as he exited the shower also wrapped in a towel.  
  
"What's up?" He said.  
  
"Listen to this." She said as she looked at Will.  
  
"Well, actually Bella's the real sleuth here. She and I were looking through some old school pictures and we found a little girl who used to be in class with us." Will said.  
  
"So?" Hamilton said.  
  
"The girls name is Melanie Manos." Will said slowly for emphasis.  
  
"You're kidding." Scout said. "Do you think it's the same girl?"  
  
"Bella thinks it could be...but we have no way of finding out for sure." Will replied.  
  
Will turned and extracted the picture from his backpack. Jake, Hamilton and Scout gathered around him for a better view.  
  
"Oh my God. Is that you?" Jake said as she laughed at the little boy with the chapped lips and the thin awkward stance. He wasn't smiling. He was, however, holding two fingers up behind the head of the boy who stood in front of him.  
  
"Yeah..." Will nodded. "I was a babe magnet don't you think?"  
  
"Check out Miss Banks" Scout drooled. "She was a knockout even then."  
  
Will pointed. " Stay with me on this Scout. Try to focus. This girl...here."  
  
"You think that girl is Melanie?" Hamilton questioned. "No way."  
  
Will replied. "Bella is pretty sure that girls name was Melanie."  
  
"But her hair is a different color." Hamilton said.  
  
"That's an easy fix, hair dye, you can buy it at any drug store." Jake suggested.  
  
"She's wearing glasses." Hamilton said.  
  
"Contact lenses." Jake said.  
  
"She looks pretty...um...well she looks bigger...in that picture." Hamilton attempted to be politically correct although he was thinking...Fat.  
  
"Jenny Craig" Jake said.  
  
"Do you really think it's her?" Hamilton questioned again. "Because I don't"  
  
"Well,there's one way to tell. Maybe we could get a look at her school transcripts. She must have had them forwarded to Rawley Girls in order for her to enroll." Jake said.  
  
"And how are we going to do that?" Scout asked.  
  
"I guess that's where I come in." Jake said. "If I can get into the Dean's office...and into the schools main frame computer...I can probably find what we're looking for."  
  
"Let's do it." Will said. "Get dressed, we'll meet you outside."  
  
Hamilton nervously peered out the window that overlooked the courtyard. "She's out there."  
  
"And you continue to be surprised by that." Scout said smugly.  
  
"She's making me paranoid. She's always around. No matter what I say she won't leave me alone. I just can't turn her off." Hamilton announced.  
  
"I'd love to sympathize with you Fleming...NOT!" Scout smirked toward Will.  
  
"Seriously,what can I do to make her go away." Hamilton said.  
  
"Tell her you're not interested." Will suggested.  
  
"I did...she doesn't seem to hear me." Hamilton replied.  
  
"How about you tell her your not interested...in girls." Scout said jokingly as he closed the door to his locker. The gang fell silent for a thought provoking moment.  
  
"You know...that just might work. You could tell her...or better yet, show her...that you're not interested in girls." Will confirmed.  
  
Hamilton looks at Jake. Jake looks at Will. And they all looked at Scout.  
  
"Whoaa...I'm NOT kissing Flemming!!" Scout protested.  
  
Will shook his head. "An 'A' in physics...and always a 'D' in common sense. Not you Scout...Jake."  
  
Jake looked over at Hamilton. She knew what this could mean to his reputation. Rumors were already circulating about Hamilton's "sexual preferences' and she knew if this got out it would cement the speculation. She was concerned for him. She admired his strength. She wondered if she could put up with all the comments and remarks as easily as he did. It made her happy that their relationship seemed to matter more to him than anything else.  
  
"What do you think?" Jake asked quietly.  
  
"I know it would definitely work for me..." Scout added.  
  
"Do you think it would make a difference?" Hamilton asked ignoring Scout.  
  
"It might." Jake answered shrugging her shoulders  
  
"But Jake, if anyone else sees us...you know what that could do?" Hamilton was obviously concerned about Jake's reputation too. He saw how the upperclassmen teased her about her femininity, unaware that it was very real. She was strong...and he knew that. He thought she was probably stronger than he was. It made him happy to think that what they shared together was more important to her than anything else.  
  
"Yes, it's a chance I'm willing to take Hamilton. If it gets Melanie out of your life." Jake looked into his eyes. "It's up to you."  
  
"Melanie isn't in my life...you are." He moved closer to her.  
  
"Ah...let's stay focused here." Will interrupted the couples loving gaze.  
  
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Hamilton took a deep cleansing breath. "I'll just walk out there...find her...tell her I'm gay...and kiss my girlfriend who will be dressed like my boyfriend. Ah... " He exhaled. "Just perfect...."  
  
  
Will and Jake left the locker room and allowed Scout the privacy he desired to change. "Do you really think she peaked?" Scout said.  
  
"Let's go Calhoun." Hamilton said as he pushed the door open.  
  
Melanie was waiting, seated on the steps of Rawley Academy. "Well, finding her was easy enough." Jake said as she looked over Will's shoulder and watched Melanie.  
  
A few minutes later Scout and Hamilton came into view. "Here we go." Will said.  
  
Melanie jumped up. "Hi Munchie." She said brightly. "You were great today!"  
  
Hamilton ignored the name. What was the point? He tried to remain calm as he related his well rehearsed speech.  
  
"Melanie, I'm glad you're hear. I've been wanting to talk to you." He said.  
  
"Really? I'm so glad." Melanie truly looked happy and Hamilton thought it made this even more difficult. Scout walked away to join the others at a safe distance...content to be ignored by her again.  
  
"Sit down," Hamilton said as he took a seat on the steps. He cleared his throat. "I think that I might have been giving you the wrong idea." He started. "I'm sure you're a very nice person and that any guy here would be really flattered by all this attention. But, I'm really happy right now Melanie."  
  
"Oh Hamilton. I knew that I could make you happy. I knew you'd eventually see it that way." Melanie blurted out.  
  
"No...no...wait. Let me finish. I'm really happy right now because I have someone in my life." Melanie cut him off.  
  
"I've always dreamed of being in your life. I've always dreamed of you and me and...." This time Hamilton cut her off.  
  
"You're not listening Melanie!" Melanie's smile faded only slightly. "I'm very happy with someone ELSE!!" There was a moment of silence.  
  
"What?" Melanie asked.  
  
"I'm in love with someone else right now. I told you that when you came by my house the other night. Or, at least I tried to." Hamilton said.  
  
"But Hamilton sweetie...it doesn't matter. I'm sure you've had other girls in your life. That's all behind us now. What's important is that you can see the way it was meant to be...for us." Melanie's eyes seemed to darken. Her smile left as she tried to explain.  
  
"Melanie...I'm in love with someone." He inhaled...he knew this was going to be the crucial deciding factor. He exhaled loudly. "I'm in love with someone, who isn't a girl." Melanie looked at him perplexed. "I have a boyfriend. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Hamilton was unable to look her in the eye. He was confused himself now. Four months earlier he remembered rehearsing this very speech in the mirror. The one he was convinced he would have to give to his Dad, before he happily discovered Jake WAS a girl.  
  
Melanie smiled again. Slowly she began to laugh. "Don't be ridiculous Hamilton." She said.  
  
"I'm not being ridiculous. I'm in love with someone. And, that someone is very important to me. And...what I really want to explain to you is I'm very sorry if I did anything to give you the wrong idea but, I'm not interested in you like that."  
  
"Hamilton...I'm the only girl that could ever make you happy." She said.  
  
"No. I'm sorry Melanie. But that's not true." Hamilton stood up. He started to walk away toward Will, Scout and Jake. Melanie lunged forward and grabbed him by the arm spinning him around to face her.  
  
"You can't just walk away from me." She yelled angrily.  
  
Hamilton shook his hand hard releasing himself from her grasp. "Yes, I can." He said. confidently.  
  
"I can't stand this..." Jake said as she watched from just beyond the oak tree.  
  
"Time to move in." Will said.  
  
"Before this gets ugly." Scout added. Will, Scout and Jake approached Melanie and Hamilton.  
  
"Well, here comes the cavalry!" Melanie said with a sneer. "Do they know you're little secret Hamilton? Do they know you're queer?" Melanie's face changed dramatically.  
  
"Yes, they do." He answered.  
  
"And they're comfortable hanging out with a faggot?" She continued to yell. He cringed when he heard her words. Hamilton briefly wondered how far her shrill voice would travel. He was relieved to see no one else around.  
  
"Yes, they are." He responded calmly.  
  
"Hi Melanie" Scout said smiling. He took a small amount of pleasure in seeing her distraught.. "How are you?"  
  
Melanie looked up into Hamilton's eyes. "We are supposed to be together. I've waited my whole life to be good enough for you. I will not let you slip through my fingers." Her glare was frightening.  
  
"Hi boy." Jake said. She deepened her voice as she encircled her arms around Hamilton's waist. "Are you ready to go?" Hamilton took Jake's lead and and put his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Hi boy." He smiled at her. Hamilton placed his free hand on her chin and drew her mouth to his. He closed his eyes and tried to forget they were on public display. He kissed her softly at first and waited for her to respond. And did she respond!!  
  
Hamilton heard the sound of Will clearing his throat which helped return them both to reality. Hamilton broke the kiss and opened his eyes in time to see Melanie turn and walk away. It was obvious by the loud clicking of her high heels that she was not happy.   
  
  
"Do you think she bought it?" Jake asked.  
  
"Time will tell." Will answered.  
  
Hamilton looked at his watch. "My Dad should be at home. This might be a good time to take a look at the computer." The four agreed and climbed the steps of the old school building. Jake, Will and Scout followed Hamilton's lead down the long and winding hallways of the deserted administration area. "Everyone should be gone for the weekend by now." He whispered.  
  
"If everybody's gone...why are we whispering?" Scout whispered back. Hamilton looked back at him but didn't answer.  
  
"Do you think....." Scouts voice echoed dramatically in the empty hall.  
  
"Shhhh!!" They all turned toward Scout who lowered his voice again  
.  
"Do you think I have chance with Melanie now?" He whispered loudly.  
  
"No!" The three whispered back loudly in unison.  
  
"That was harsh." Scout said softly and proceeded to the door of Dean Fleming's office.  
  
"Hang on Ham...I can help you out with this part." Will said as he took his ATM card from his wallet.  
  
"Thanks man...but I'm all set." Hamilton reached into his pocket and withdrew a small set of keys.  
  
"You have a key to your Dad's office?" Scout asked, somewhat surprised.  
  
"Not exactly." Hamilton responded. Dangling from the circular chain was a key to the Fleming's front door, a key to the garage and the tiniest of Swiss Army knives. Hamilton carefully extracted a small silver point with his thumbnail and bent down to begin work on the locked office door. Jake and Scout watched from behind and were suitably impressed.  
  
"Where'd you learn to do this?" Scout asked.  
  
"I sort of had a summer job." Hamilton smiled.  
  
"What, breaking and entering?" Jake suggested.  
  
Hamilton's smile broadened. When I was a kid, I was pretty much stuck here for breaks and vacations and stuff. So, I used to...um...let myself in to the upperclassmen's dorm rooms, check out if they left anything behind. Actually, I used to swipe their Playboy magazines all the time. You'd think they'd eventually stop hiding them under the mattress." Hamilton reveled for a moment in the memories.  
  
"Do you still have 'em?" Scout inquired hopefully.  
  
The door knob clicked. "We're in." Hamilton said. He turned the knob and allowed the office door to fall quietly open. The gang hesitated at first, but Jake walked through and the others followed closing and re-locking the door behind them. Jake rubbed her hands together and headed for the large beige computer terminal that was erected on the main desk. Scout reached over and turned the light on.  
  
"No! Turn it off." Hamilton yelled without raising his voice. My Dad can see his office window from our house."  
  
Scout switched the light off while Jake seated herself and switched on the computer. She delicately fondled the mouse like a pro. "Wow..." She said in awe. "So this is where all of the tuition money goes. This is definitely in the 'butter zone'!" She stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"What?" Scout asked.  
  
"This is state-of-the-art gentlemen. Triple RAM with and active Matrix. A V-6 chip with a PCi bus. It has a killer refresh rate and is probably triple the speed of a Pentium."  
  
"And that's good...right?" Scout said almost afraid to ask.  
  
It took Jake several minutes to get into the computers main program index. Will and Hamilton flanked her and watched in amazement as her fingers danced across the keyboard. Scout browsed around the office and waited patiently.  
  
"There?" Hamilton said as he pointed to the screen.  
  
"No...that has tracking access. It'll be better if I get into the main program first and then find the transcripts through a rear entry.  
  
Hamilton patted her on the head and smiled. "You go girl.'" Hamilton and Will looked at each other content that she knew what she was doing. They continued to observe in awe as Jake clicked away at the keys. Colored screens came and went continuously flashing in front of them.  
  
"Hey guys..." Scout whispered.  
  
"Ok, " Jake said as she looked up at Hamilton. "Have any idea what your Dad's password might be?" Hamilton shook his head negatively. "Does your Dad have any favorite four letter words?" She asked.  
  
"If he doesn't my Dad could lend him a few." Will chuckled when he said it although not all memories of his father made him smile.  
  
"None he could use as a password I suppose." Hamilton responded looking at Will.  
  
"Ok, I CAN override the password barrier but it's going to take a lot longer, that's all." Jake explained.  
  
"Hey guys..." Scout called out again.  
  
"Try F-L-E-M, that was his nick name in college." Hamilton suggested.  
  
"Ewww...that's discusting." Will turned up his nose at the thought.  
  
"Seems to obvious...but..." Jake tapped at the keys. A red screen with the words Access Denied flashed in front of them.  
  
"D-E-A-N?" Will thought.  
Access Denied  
  
"It should be simple and fairly easy...but not so obvious." Jake said.  
  
Hamilton glanced around the room for clues. "P-E-N-S?" He asked.  
click click click click Access Denied  
  
"Guys!" Scout gave a reasonably loud shout.  
click click click click G-U-Y-S "Nope, that's not it." Jake commented.  
  
"Oh...hey...I have an idea." She tapped at the keys. K-A-T-E. The computer screen changed from red to green before there very eyes.  
  
"Good job, how'd you think of that?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"I just thought, what would your Dad like to think of first thing in the morning and last thing at night." Jake and Hamilton exchanged smiles.  
  
"Hey Scout, we're in." Will called back to Scout who was standing in front of a large bank of filing cabinets.  
  
"And so am I." Scout said.  
  
Jake and Hamilton turned to see Scout approaching them carrying a legal sized manilla folder in his hand.  
  
"What's that?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"Manos, Melanie Manos." Scout dropped the folder on the desk in front of them. The three exchanged glances as each of their mouths dropped open slightly. "Wow...the wonders of the digital age." Scout said smugly.  
  
They spread open the file on top of the Dean's desk. Jake remained seated as the boys hovered behind her breathing down her neck. She slowly turned the pages. The first page contained Melanie's school photo ID, her current demographics, the names and business addresses of her parents, including their cell phone numbers, pager numbers and fax numbers. Page two contained a medical release form allowing the school the authority to seek treatment on her parents behalf if she ever needed it.  
  
The third page was an extended scholastic history which included grades and awards she had received. "She won a prize for photography in 1997." Jake mentioned in passing.  
  
"Man, look at all the schools she's been to." Will said as he scanned the list. "Her parents really move around a lot."  
  
"Here...look..." Jake pointed. "October 1991 through May 1992, Hillside Elementary School, New Rawley. That's it, right?"  
  
"She's the same girl." Will said. "I still wonder why she never said any thing to any of us...about living in New Rawley before.  
  
"Maybe she was embarrassed." Scout said.  
  
"This is interesting..." Jake said as she looked at the back of the page. "It doesn't look as though Melanie was in school last year...at all. There is no transcript listing for the 1998-99 school year."  
  
Footsteps stopped outside the Deans office and a shadowy figure appeared in the frosted glass window. The sound of keys jingling just outside the door made then freeze first and then scatter. Hamilton grabbed Jake by the hand and headed for the coat closet. Scout ducked into the empty space between the wall and the filing cabinet. Will grabbed the folder and flew under the desk, tucking his legs up in front of him in the confined space. They were all well hidden and just in time.   
  
The door opened and Dean Fleming entered his office. He glanced around the apparently empty room. He thought he had left the desk lamp on in his office, but perhaps he was mistaken. He turned and readied himself to leave when the soft glow from the computer monitor caught his eye. Dean Fleming walked to his desk and looked at the screen. He rubbed his chin. He watched as the program file blinked on and off in a random search mode. Will held his breath as the Dean's shoes closed in on the small cramped space beneath the desk. Will recalled hiding under his bed when his parents used to fight. He was small and scared then. He was older and scared now.  
  
Jake and Hamilton stood face to face in the narrow coat closet. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, Hamilton smiled at her. Jake put her fingers to her lips and made a soundless "shhh." Hamilton took her finger and placed it on his own lips and kissed it gently prompting Jake to smile back at him. Hamilton slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. At first Jake's eyes widened in disbelief and slowly, they melted into his. He leaned forward and silently kissed her.   
  
The search engine beeped once to indicate it had finished. Scout watched the shadows change on the wall. He was afraid to poke his head out from behind the cabinets for fear of being seen. Scout closed his eyes. He couldn't believe that no one had thought to shut the computer off. Scout though of how he was going to explain this to his father. He wondered how having a son arrested for trespassing, would effect his Dad's campaign.  
  
Dean Fleming glanced at the screen. "Mmmm" He mumble aloud to himself. He carefully took in the information that was shown to him He bent down and clicked at the keyboard. He waited a minute for it to shut down and then he switched it off. He backed away from the desk. Will slowly breathed a sigh of relief. He walked toward the office door. Opened it, exited through it, and locked it behind him. The shadow on the frosted glass hesitated and then left. Will and Scout listened until the footsteps were no longer audible.  
  
Scout came out first. He looked around. "Will?" He whispered.  
  
Will untucked his legs and rolled out onto the floor. "Jesus, that was close!" He continued to breathe deeply. Scout took the folder from Will's hand and put it back alphabetically in the cabinet he found it in. The two looked at each other and smiled uneasily. They headed for the office door.  
  
Will knocked twice on the closet door. "Time to come out of the closet you two."  
  
"In the meantime, Will and I are getting the hell out of here." Scout added and the two were out the door.  
  
Hamilton looked at Jake. He smiled both with relief and with the brief opportunity they had to be together. "Think he's gone?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah.." Hamilton nodded. Jake breathed in and out deeply.  
  
"Let's get out of here." She said.  
  
"The next time I have to hide in a closet...I hope it's with you." He said smiling.  
  
"Me too. Are we still on for tonight?" She asked.  
  
"Absolutely." He answered.  
  
"Well, I need to go back to my dorm, maybe shower and change." Jake said still whispering.  
  
"You smell fine to me." Hamilton sniffed at her neck and kissed her lightly.  
  
"Well, you got to take a shower after crew...I didn't." She said backing him up slightly.  
  
"Ok...ok. I'll meet you down at the dock in...fifteen minutes." He said looking at his watch.  
  
"I may look like a guy...but I shower like a girl. I'll see you at the dock in an hour." She kissed his nose and opened the closet door. Jake turned left in the hallway and proceeded toward the dormitory area. Hamilton turned to the right, down the stairwell and out the door.  
  
He walked the wooded path that lead to home.  
  



	6. Part VI

Jake passed Will and Scout in the crowded Common Room. She nodded to them and they smiled back at her. She headed up the stairs and stopped in front of her room. She ran her hand over the top of the door jam and found the key. She was only a little disappointed that Hamilton wasn't already inside waiting for her as he had been before. She hurried. She knew that with the Common Room full on a Friday evening this would be her best chance to shower without the chance of being caught. She thought it was still too early for comments and rumors to be circulating about the kiss, IF there were to be any at all. Jake gathered her things and headed for the shower room.  
  
Hamilton used his key and let himself into the house. He had walked slowly in the night air not wishing to overtake his father on the path.  
  
"Hamilton honey...is that you?" His mother called from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah Mom, it's me." He answered. He made it to the stairs before she called after him again.  
"Where have you been? I saved you some dinner." She asked.  
  
Hamilton knew that he should probably avoid a close encounter with his parents right now...as well as his mothers cooking. But, the lure of food drew him to the kitchen.  
  
He walked through the door and saw both parents seated at the table. "Hi Mom...Dad." He said as he lowered his eyes to avoid his fathers stare.  
  
"Your're late Munchie...where were you?" His mother asked as she sipped her coffee.  
  
"I was just hanging out with the guys for a while after practice. Sorry...I should have told you." He said. He opened the microwave and took out the saran wrap covered plate that was most likely meant for him. He looked at it. Having no idea what it was...he thought changing the subject from his whereabouts to dinner would be a good thing. "Gee Mom...this smells great." He lied.  
  
He saw his father roll his eyes. "Yes...it's a new recipe. Your mother is trying out some new ethnic dishes...on us."  
  
Hamilton joined his parents at the table. The immediate silence was deafening.  
  
"How was practice, honey?" Kate asked.  
  
"Fine." Hamilton said as he picked through the contents of the plate for something he recognized.  
  
"You have a meet this weekend?" She continued trying to make conversation.  
  
"Ah...yeah, Sunday." He answered.  
  
"I didn't see you around the school Hamilton. I just left there a short time ago." His father added.  
  
Hamilton froze and again concentrated on his food to avoid his fathers eyes.  
"Ah...well..I was probably still in the showers. We hung around for a while and I showered late." He made each word up as he went along.  
  
"Really..." His father said as he noticed Hamilton's very dry hair. "Mmmmm"   
  
"What were you doing at school so late Dad?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"I had to go back to my office. I thought I had left the light on...but I guess I was mistaken." He answered.  
  
Hamilton stood up...lifted his plate and headed for the sink. He quickly scraped the contents into the garbage disposal and left the dish down. "That was great Mom, thanks." He said.  
  
"Hamilton!" His father's deep voice echoed. "The girls."  
  
Hamilton felt the color drain from his face as he turned to face his father.  
  
"The girls?" He questioned. Dean Fleming turned and pointed at the two snoring furry beasts huddled by the back door.  
"Right..." Hamilton approached the dogs and reached for the two leashes that hung by the window. Instantly the Golden Retrievers came to life, jumping to their feet and wagging their tails. "Come on ladies..." He said as he took them both outside.  
  
Jake enjoyed the freedom of her shower. She shampooed her hair twice... and then applied conditioner. She shaved her legs leisurely. She used her loofah and pumice stone on her elbows and lathered her face with the special bottle of facial wash she had purchased at the drug store. She used her astringent and then rinsed the conditioner from her hair. The warm water released some of the tensions of the day and she turned her back to it and let the stream beat against her neck and shoulders. She turned off the water and looked for the bottle of moisturizer to apply to her legs and arms. Then she looked for the smaller jar to apply to her face. Her mind wandered to Melanie. She played the scene over in her head and was still unclear as to why Melanie wasn't in school last year. She thought about the overweight girl in Will and Bella's school photo and wondered what the mystery was that surrounded Melanie Manos. For the time being though...she decided to concentrate on spending the evening with Hamilton. "Fifteen minutes...yeah right!" She said out loud to no one.  
  
Hamilton took the dogs deeper into the woods. He unleashed them and let them run. He smiled as he watched them jump up and chase each other. He remembered his father bringing them home when they were puppies. His father wanted to name them Bill and Hillary not really believing dogs had any sort of gender bias with their names. But, his mother put a stop to any political affiliation with her much loved pets. She had suggested that more cultural names, perhaps after artists would be more appropriate. Hamilton agreed and made a suggestion from the only group of artists' he was familiar with at the time...but his mother explained that female dogs really shouldn't be called Donatello and Michaelangelo, even if they were famous painters and not just Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles. In the end...his mother won out, and the Retriever puppies came to be known as Georgia, after Georgia O'Keefe and Cassie, after Mary Cassatt.  
Hamilton relaxed and breathed in the night air. He looked forward to spending the next few hours undistracted, with Jake. He allowed his mind to wander briefly to Melanie. There was something about her...he wasn't sure what it was. He wasn't attracted to her...but he felt like there was a connection. He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind and called out to the dogs. Georgia and Cassie came charging back, he leashed them and headed back for the house.  
  
"Hi honey." His mother said as he entered the house. "Jake called while you were out..."   
Hamilton looked up at his mother. "He said to tell you he's running late..."  
  
Hamilton smiled. "Thanks, that guy is slower than most girls." He said.  
  
"What are you up to tonight?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know. Just hanging out I guess." Hamilton left and headed for his room planning to kill a little more time before he left for the dock.  
  
Jake dressed in the shower stall. She put on a light blue lacy camisole under her heavy sweatshirt. She may have to look like a guy...but she enjoyed feeling like a girl underneath. She ran a dollop of hair gel through her hair and pulled her bangs down over her eyes. She promised herself that someday soon she would grow her hair long again...like it used to be. She picked up her gear and headed back to her room. She didn't want to keep Hamilton waiting.  
  
******************************  
  
Jake casually walked down to the lake. She was surprised that Hamilton wasn't there waiting for her. She seated herself on the dock and watched as the tiny rowboat rocked in the water. The moonlight shone into the boat intentionally settling on something shiny. Jake moved toward the boat and noticed a single long stemmed yellow rose...and a bottle of Strawberry/Kiwi Snapple She picked up the rose and pricked her finger on one of the thorns. "Oww" She said. Jake stuck her finger in her mouth. Attached to the bottle was a small note. This one's for you! Jake smiled... "Aww...Hamilton. " She thought to herself.  
  
"Waiting for me???" The voice behind her made her jump and drop the rose into the water. Jake turned with a start to find Ryder standing behind her.  
  
"Damn it Ryder!!" Jake yelled. "You sacred me."  
  
"Easily frightened...boy." Ryder said with a sly smile.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" Jake asked...happy he wasn't strolling around last night at this time.  
  
"Just checking out the nightlife." He said smugly. "You?"  
  
Jake was careful to remember her voice. "Ah...yeah. Same. Cruising for babes." She cringed on the inside at how stupid that line felt coming from her mouth.  
  
"Where's your little boy-toy Mr. Pratt?" Ryder asked.  
  
"What?" Jake looked indignant.  
  
"I heard about you and young Master Fleming." Ryder puckered making kissing noises.  
  
The hairs on Jake's neck stood up. This was the beginning of the inevitable she thought. She was really starting to hate Melanie Manos for the trouble she was consistently causing.  
"Maybe your sources were mistaken" Jake said.  
  
"Maybe they were right. Maybe my instincts about you have been right all along."  
  
Jake felt cornered. The worst thing, she thought, was to have Hamilton show up right now...and confirm Ryders suspicions. Calmly Jake attempted to walk around Ryder. Ryder extended a hand to Jake's chest. "Leaving so soon...luv?"  
  
"Get out of my way Ryder." Jake pushed him backward with a shove. In turn Ryder took the glass bottle from her hand as if he had won the prize. Jake walked off toward the hill and headed back to the dorms.  
  
Ryder stood in the stillness of the night air. He found Jake Pratt to be intriguing. He was never sure what it was about him. He felt drawn to him. Ryder popped off the cap to the bottle of Snapple and drained the bottle in one long swallow.  
  
  
******************************************  
Hamilton forced himself to walk slower. He knew he was early but he couldn't help it. He was excited about spending some time, alone with Jake. He descended the hill and looked out over the lake as it came into view. He narrowed his field of vision and scanned the dock for signs of movement. He looked toward where the rowboat had been tethered last night and he hoped to find her sitting in it...waiting for him.  
  
He did see her.  
  
He quickened his pace not wanting to keep her waiting any longer. As Hamilton got closer to the boat he could see her leaning over the side and looking into the water. He heard terrible retching noises as he neared. "Jake?" He called out as he began to run. He thought he saw her try to stand...but as she did...she fell off balance and toppled into the dark water. "Jake!" He screamed. Without hesitation Hamilton ran at full speed across the dock and dove into the murky water below. The darkness of the night accentuated the darkness of the water. Hamilton surfaced, took in a deep breath and dove down again. Seconds felt like hours. Finally he reached out and felt her body floating in the water. He grabbed at the heavy sweatshirt and pulled upwards toward the surface. She seemed much heavier in the water than he was prepared for. He found the strength he needed to hold onto her. He gulped for air as he broke the glassy water top. "Jake? Jake!" He turned her head towards him in an effort to hold her face out of the water. At the same time his eyes began to adjust to his darkened surroundings. "Ryder?" Hamilton said out loud. Ryder appeared to be unconscious. Hamilton continued to hold Ryder's head out of the water. He pushed Ryder's arms up and over the side of the boat for added support. "Ryder!" He yelled at him again but received no response. Hamilton treaded water in the floor-less lake. He had trouble getting the leverage he needed to get Ryder into the boat. His next choice seemed obvious. "HELP!!" Hamilton screamed, but there was no one around to hear him. He continued treading water until his legs burned. Finally, Hamilton grabbed on of Ryders legs and pushed it up far enough to get his foot over the rim of the tiny boat. With one adrenaline induced shove the rest of Ryder's body followed. Hamilton took several deep breaths then used what strength he had left to hoist himself into the rocking boat as well. "Ryder!" He yelled at him. "Ryder!" He yelled again as he slapped his cheek hard. "Wake up!" Hamilton leaned over Ryder's face and put his ear down close to his mouth. He was pretty sure that he could hear him breathing, Hamilton hoped it wasn't his imagination. Hamilton looked up toward the school building...judging the distance between help and disaster. Having no clearer choice Hamilton turned Ryder on his side, leapt out of the boat, onto the dock and ran as fast as he could toward the school.   
As he topped the small grassy hill he recognized Will and Scout descending the steps. Hamilton barely had enough breath left in him. His lungs burned. "Will!" He yelled. "Will!"  
  
"I can't believe it's our night off and we're going to spend it at the diner we work in!" Will chuckled.  
  
"Yeah...I know. It's not like there are so many other choices. Besides, Bella will be there... Scout responded.  
  
Scout and Will both looked up startled as the heard the echo of the distressed calls. They ran toward the figure in the grass. Hamilton was still standing, bent over with his hands on his knees for support.  
  
"Hamilton? What's wrong..." Will asked putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Ryder..." He breathed loudly. "...in the boat."  
  
Will looked at Scout and took off running down the hill and toward the lake unsure of what to expect.  
  
"Ham...you Ok man?" Scout asked. Hamilton pointed toward the lake in response. Scout ran down the hill also in pursuit of the unknown.  
  
******************************  
  
Scout, Will and Hamilton watched as the paramedics closed the door to the back of the ambulance. The red flashing lights had alerted a fair number of students, most finding the commotion a great distraction from studying.  
  
Hamilton's lips were still a bit bluish and he shivered in the cold night air.  
  
Will took off his jacket and gave it to a soaking wet Hamilton.  
  
"What happened?" Will asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Hamilton responded honestly.  
  
"Well, what were you doing down here?" Scout asked.  
  
"I was heading down to the dock...and..." Hamilton thought out loud. "I thought I saw Jake...and then I thought she was sick...I heard her getting sick" Hamilton recalled.  
  
"Ok...then what?" Will prompted.  
  
"It looked like she just fell over...and into the water...I ran, I jumped in...but when I pulled her up...it was Ryder." Hamilton shook his head in bewilderment.  
  
"Why did you think it was Jake?" Will asked.  
  
"Because I was supposed to meet her down here...in the boat." Hamilton answered.  
  
"When?" Scout inquired.  
  
Hamilton looked at the wrist where his watch usually was. "Damn, I must have lost it in the water." Hamilton considered the time that had lapsed since he initially came down to the lake.  
  
"A while ago." He said.  
  
"So, where is she?" Scout asked as he looked around.  
  
The thought came to each of them at the same time.  
  
"Jesus!!" Hamilton screamed as he ran back to the lake. "Jake!" He screamed again as Will and Scout followed immediately behind.  
  
"Ham...wait..." Scout called out to him.   
  
Without thinking or hearing...Hamilton ran off the dock and dove back into the chilly water.  
  
"Hamilton! Wait!" Scout yelled again holding his cell phone to his ear.  
  
Hamilton surfaced in the water, gulped for air and descended again.  
  
Will and Scout stood on the slippery dock above him. As Hamilton came up a second time Scout shouted again. "Fleming!...She's OK...She's here! " Scout held his cell phone in the air hoping Hamilton could see it. Hamilton swam toward the boat and hung onto the sides for support. He was breathless.  
  
"Déjà vu" He said.  
  
Scout bent down and showed him the phone. "What's that silly commercial say, 'you should have called first'."  
  
Scout smiled when he saw the look of relief on Hamilton's face.  
  
Will and Scout each extended a hand and pulled Hamilton out of the water.  
  
"I'd offer you my jacket...but..." Will smiled as he yanked on the dripping sleeve of his own jacket.  
  
"Sorry..." He smiled back.  
  
Scout clicked off the cell and put it back in his pocket. "Jake's going to meet Bella at Friendly's. We can catch up to them there." Scout said.  
  
"Buddy...you need a hot shower. Will said to Hamilton who was shaking with a mixture of cold, wet, shock and relief. "Want us to wait for you?" Will asked.  
  
Hamilton shook his head. "Nah...go ahead. I'll be there soon." Hamilton was dazed.   
  
"Hey...it's Ok...SHE'S Ok." Will said trying to provide him with some comfort.  
  
"I know..." He nodded. "Tell her I'm on my way. I just need to change.  
  
Scout and Will headed for the center of town. Hamilton hurried toward home.  
  
"Hamilton!" His mother called out when she heard the door open. "Are you all right?"  
Kate met him at the front door to see for herself.  
  
"Fine Mom..." He answered.  
  
"Oh my God, Hamilton..." Kate stopped short when she saw her dripping son standing in the hallway. "Hamilton...what happened?" She asked.  
  
"Took a little swim." He smiled back at her. "Actually...there was an accident down at the lake..." He continued.  
  
"I know...your father's on the way to the hospital now."  
  
"I was so worried." Kate exhaled.  
  
"I'm Ok Mom...but I need a shower...Bad." He smiled at her as he slowly trudged up the staircase.  
  
He entered the bathroom silently. He shut the door. He kicked off his sopping wet sneakers, not bothering to unlace them. He peeled off his wet socks and tossed two perfectly formed muddy "sock-balls" into the hamper. He reached into the shower and turned the stream of water on full allowing the steam to permeate the bathroom and begin to warm him. He removed Will's jacket and hung it on the bathroom door knob. He removed the rest of his clothing and pulled back the shower curtain. He stepped into the warmth of the shower. He rubbed at his arms trying to warm up as well as remove the pond scum that he felt covered him. He let the water beat down on his head. He wanted to wash away the trauma of the night. Jake's face floated into his thoughts. He thought he knew what it felt like...to lose someone you love. The shock of the evening suddenly caught up to him and took him over. He felt his body shake. He put his hands over his face...and sobbed quietly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Part VII

"I was there." Jake whispered loudly. "When I went there Hamilton had already been there, but he wasn't around. So, I waited...then Ryder showed up and was being...well, Ryder. Jake explained to Bella, Will and Scout as the four huddled at their usual table.  
  
"What do you mean?" Will asked.  
  
"He was giving me hard time about..." She hesitated a little and lowered her voice even more. "I guess he heard about the kiss..."  
  
"Yeah well, good news travels fast." Bella added.  
  
Jake smiled. "I didn't want Ryder to see Hamilton arrive and look like he was showing up to meet me...so we argued for a minute...and then I left. I thought I'd go back to my room and call Hamilton, maybe meet somewhere else."  
  
"Did you call him?" Will asked with a serious tone in his voice.  
  
"Am I on trial here Krudski?" Jake questioned sarcastically.  
  
"Of course not. I'm sorry...I meant have you talked to Hamilton since all of this happened?" Will corrected.  
  
"Not yet...but he is coming here...right?"   
  
"Jake..." Scout said. "This whole thing really did a number on him...just so you know. He was really freaked out"  
  
Jake looked confused and slightly apprehensive. Having heard only bits and pieces of the story...she wasn't sure what to expect. All four heads turned toward the door as the heard the jingle announcing another customer.  
  
It was a busy night at the diner, especially for the hour. A bigger crowd than Hamilton had expected. He walked over to the familiar table in the corner. "Hey." He said to all but, stared at Jake.  
  
"Hi Hamilton." Bella said.  
  
"Buddy...how's it going?" Scout chimed in slapping a less than enthusiastic high-five with Hamilton. Jake returned Hamilton's stare. She wished she could jump up and throw her arms around him. She had the instinct to want to comfort him right now...and it frustrated her to know that she couldn't. Hamilton's stare continued to burn through her.  
  
"Ham...you Ok?" Will asked.  
  
"I need to go to the bathroom." Hamilton said. He turned and walked toward the restrooms at the back of the restaurant. Will, Bella and Scout looked sympathetically at Jake.  
  
"Guess that's my cue" She said. Scout stood at the end of the booth and allowed Bella to scoot sideways giving Jake the room she needed leave the table.  
  
Jake walked to the men's room and hesitated briefly at the door. She usually avoided these kinds of situations. She hated this part of her self-made charade but, she needed to be with Hamilton now. She took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. A large man stood with his back to her using the urinal. Jake pulled her bangs down over her eyes in an effort to shield her view. She turned away quickly and went to stand in front of the sinks. She washed her hands needlessly and watched mesmerized as the soapy water swirled down the drain. The man had finished his business and stood at the adjacent sink. "Hi." She said remembering to keep her voice low. The gentlemen looked over at her and nodded. Jake washed her hands continuously until the man left the bathroom.  
  
Jake bent over and looked for feet beneath the two stalls. Only one set...she thought relieved...and she recognized them. "Hamilton?" She said softly. Hamilton opened the door to the stall and offered her entry. She stepped in to the confined space and said nothing. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. He responded by encircling her waist with his arms and squeezing her tightly. His head sank into the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes. She held him. He held her and they remained silent. There was nothing that either of them had to say out loud.  
  
Minutes later Jake turned her head and whispered into Hamilton's ear. "Bad night...huh?" Jake relaxed into him.   
Hamilton squeezed her tighter. The outside door of the bathroom banged open loudly startling them both. Jake's eyes opened widely. "Shhh" Hamilton mouthed as he put his finger to his lips. Another Friendly's patron entered. The dark haired man walked toward the urinal. Jake looked down embarrassedly even though Hamilton was shielding her view. The sound of the stranger relieving himself coupled with the oddness of the situation at hand made Jake begin to giggle behind the walls of the bathroom stall. The giggling soon set Hamilton off as well quietly releiving some of the tension.  
  
The door suddenly banged open a second time. "We may never get out of here." Jake whispered almost silently in Hamilton's ear.  
  
"Good...you're safe here." He whispered back.  
  
Scout entered the men's room and looked around. Seeing only the one man he exhaled and looked slightly relieved.  
  
"Hey." Scout said to the stranger zipping up his pants. The man proceeded to the sinks looking at Scout once and then looking away. Jake recognized Scout's voice. The man left quickly looking back over his shoulder and taking Scout fully into view.  
  
"Fleming?" Scout said. Hamilton opened the door and he and Jake exited the bathroom stall. "I was coming in to tell you that some other guy looked like he was heading for the bathroom...well...moot point now. Scout stood looking at them. "You coming back out to the table?" He asked  
  
"Yeah." Hamilton said as headed for the door with Jake following close behind. Just before Hamilton opened the door he stopped and looked at Jake. "By the way, BOY TIP: men don't talk to other men in the bathroom."  
  
"Oh..." Jake nodded.  
  
"It's kind of an unwritten rule." He smiled for the first time that night.  
  
"Gotcha." She winked.  
  
"You coming Calhoun?" Hamilton said to Scout who was still standing at the sink.  
  
"Actually...I gotta..." He hesitated as he looked at Jake.  
  
"I'm outta here." Jake laughed.  
  
******************************  
  
Jake and Hamilton walked through the slightly thinner crowd. "Are they giving stuff away tonight?" Hamilton asked surprised by the amount of customers.  
  
"Well...this is New Rawleys hot spot...sad but true." Will answered.  
  
"My Dad came home just before I left." Hamilton said instantly grabbing their attention.   
  
"Ryder's going to be Ok. I guess they thought that was drunk and then passed out. But, some blood test they do proved that he hadn't been drinking at all."  
  
"So, what happened?" Bella asked.  
  
"Maybe he just got sick." Scout suggested.  
  
"Their going to keep him in the emergency room for the rest of the night and they'll probably move him to the school infirmary tomorrow. Hamilton added.  
  
"I hope Ryder knows just how lucky he was that you were there Hamilton. " Bella said.  
  
"He looked perfectly fine to me...he was his usual annoying self." Jake said still having trouble comprehending the nights events.  
  
"Wait...when did you see him?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"When I went to the lake to meet you." She said.  
  
"But when I got there...you weren't there. You weren't anywhere around." Hamilton recalled the scene in his head.  
  
"I didn't want Ryder to see you coming back...so I left." Jake said.  
  
"Coming back?" Hamilton questioned. "What do you mean coming back?"  
  
"I saw the rose Hamilton...and the juice." She said smiling at the sweetness of the gesture.  
  
"What rose?" Hamilton looked puzzled.  
  
Scout joined them at the table. "What did I miss?" He asked.  
  
"A lot...apparently." Bella replied.  
  
Will attempted to moderate. "Ok...let's start over. We were all together for the ...ah...computer incident..." He lowered his voice. "After that...you two split up and Hamilton went home...and Jake, you went to your room. Scout and I saw you."  
  
"Right..." Jake said, "Then I went down to take a shower and I planned on meeting Hamilton at the dock later."  
  
"Ok Hamilton...what about you?" Will questioned him.  
  
"I went home...had dinner with my folks...then I left to meet Jake at the docks."  
  
"And that's when you saw Ryder?" Will asked.  
  
"Yeah... I guess." He answered.  
  
"When did you leave the rose?" Jake looked at Hamilton.  
  
"What rose?" Hamilton queried.  
  
"There was no one by the lake when I got there. So I went down to the dock and planned to sit in the row boat and wait for you. In the boat...right where I was sitting the night before...there was a yellow rose, with a note and a bottle of Snapple." Jake explained.  
  
"Snapple?" Bella smiled  
  
"Strawberry/Kiwi, my favorite...he knows that. The night before we were supposed to share a bottle...and Hamilton drank the whole thing..." Jake smiled.  
  
"Jake...I didn't leave you any Snapple." Hamilton sounded as though he wished he had.  
  
"But it was there...I swear." Jake protested. She held up her finger. "Look...I even pricked myself on the thorn."  
  
"We believe you. "Scout said.  
  
"But how did it get there?" Will asked.  
  
"Maybe someone else was planing on meeting there tonight. Maybe it was just a coincidence." Bella suggested.  
  
"What did the note say?" Hamilton asked. "You said there was a note."  
  
"This one's for you." Jake replied slowly. There was silence for a moment as each member of the group processed their thoughts.  
  
"Why were you late?" Jake asked Hamilton accusatorily.  
  
"I wasn't late. I knew that you were going to be late...so I took my time. Oh yeah...and I walked the dogs first...before I left. I just remembered that. When I got back inside...my mother said that you'd called and that you were going to be late." Hamilton said.  
  
"I didn't call your house." Jake said.  
  
"This is weird." Will said.  
  
"So weird." Scout added. Again the group fell silent.  
  
Bella yawned. "It's really late for me. I have to open the station early in the morning."   
Bella said as she stood. "I'm glad everything is all right. I'm glad you're both all right."  
  
"It has been kind of a draining evening." Will said. "Maybe we should all get a good nights sleep and maybe things will seem clearer in the morning."  
  
"Yeah...come on Bella, I'll walk you home." Scout offered.  
  
"I only live across the street." Bella replied smiling.  
  
"Then we'll have to walk really slow..." Scout said.  
  
  
Bella and Scout left the restaurant. Will, Jake and Hamilton followed them out the door. Unconsciously Hamilton reached out to take Jake's hand. Jake brushed his hand away. She looked at him, apologizing with her eyes.  
  
"Let's go." Jake said.  
  
The brief walk back to school was quiet. Jake broke the silence first. "I hope Ryder's going to be Ok." She said.  
  
"Yeah...he'll be fine. Only the good die young." Hamilton laughed.  
  
The three walked up the steps of Rawley Academy. No invitation was necessary, Hamilton intended on seeing Jake safely tucked in. "I'll catch you guys tomorrow." Will said. He did the buddy slap high five with Hamilton and waved to Jake.  
  
"Night man...Hey Will." Hamilton called out. Will stopped and turned around. "Thanks...really. Thanks a lot." Will waved again  
.  
  
Jake and Hamilton walked to the door of Jake's dorm room. Jake reached up and ran her hand over the door jam as was her routine. She removed the key, unlocked the door and replaced the key.  
  
"Do you think that's a good idea?" Hamilton said concerned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Leaving your key out in the open like that." Hamilton said.  
  
"It's not out in the open...it's up there." Jake pointed up.  
  
"It might be safer if..."Jake cut him off.  
  
"I won't do it anymore...Ok?" She said.  
  
"Ok." He smiled. Jake shut the door behind them and turned to look at Hamilton.  
  
"Are you Ok?" She asked. He remained quiet. He looked down at the floor.  
  
"Yeah..." He said softly. She went to him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him for a moment. "I don't know what to tell you Jake...I thought...I thought that maybe you were...I was so scared...." He stuttered.  
  
"I'm Ok." Jake reassured him and tightened her grip on him.  
  
"I don't know what I'd do...if you weren't here." He whispered.  
  
"I am here Hamilton. I'm Ok. I'm not going anywhere." She stated.  
  
"Promise?" He said with a slight smile.  
  
"Promise." She answered.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere either...." He smiled.  
  
"Yes Hamilton...you are...you're going home and going to bed. You look exhausted.  
  
"Yeah..." Hamilton turned toward the door. He looked back at her. "Good night."  
  
"Night Hamilton...I love you." She planted a small kiss on his lips.  
  
"Me too." He smiled and kissed her back. "I'll see you in the morning.  
  
"OK" She said.  
  
Hamilton left. Jake sighed out loud. She hoped everything would work itself out in the morning. A knock on her door startled her thoughts.  
Jake opened the door. Hamilton was standing there...holding her key in his hand.  
  
"You're supposed to ask, who is it?" He said.  
  
Jake took the key...kissed him quickly again and said, "Good night Hamilton."  
  
Jake closed the door. Another knock sounded on the door.  
  
Jake exhaled...Hamilton, she thought to herself with a smile. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice dramatically. "Who's there? I'm built like a football player. I have a gun and I know how to use it!!" She giggled.  
  
"Ok...Ok...good night. " Hamilton said through the door.  
  
  
  
  
Jake's face floated just under the surface of the water. Her pasty flesh rippled in time with the waves. Her eyes widened in an unnatural stare. Her mouth gaped opened grotesquely with each attempt to scream. "Hamilton!!!"  
  
Hamilton's eyes flew open. He sat up in bed and scanned the room. His thudding heart pounded loudly in his ears. His breathing slowed slightly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he recognized the familiar surroundings. Beads of sweat glistened across his forehead. He exhaled loudly and lay back on his pillow to rest. He glanced at the illuminated numbers of his alarm clock, 3:10am. This was the second time that Jake's voice had woken him from his fitful slumber. He threw back the blankets and got out of bed. What was the point? He couldn't sleep. He paced aimlessly and stopped to stare out of the second story window. The stillness of New Rawley Lake offered him no relief from the memories of last night. Finally he bent to put on his jeans. He grabbed a sweatshirt from the chair and pulled it on over his head as he reached for the bedroom door. He stretched his arms through the sleeves as he descended the stairs. He let himself out the front door and pulled it closed quietly behind him. He was careful not to wake his parents or the sleeping creatures that lay oblivious at the back door. As his feet hit the familiar path it became painfully obvious that he had forgotten his sneakers. He shook his head realizing how clouded his thoughts had become...but he kept moving toward the dorms.  
  
Hamilton entered through the glass door in the Dining Hall. He assumed that the front entrances would be securely locked at this hour, he knew from past experience that the kitchen door was the only one "pickable." He entered the dorm area and crept through the Common Room stubbing his toe in passing. He walked quickly up the staircase and headed to the door of Jake's room. Hamilton ran his hand over the top of the door jam and was relieved in some small way that the key had not been replaced. He took the knife from his pocket and bent toward the door knob. Hamilton let himself in to Jake's room unannounced. He walked toward the bed in the dark following only the sounds of her breathing. The moonlight through the bedroom window allowed just enough light for him to gaze at her clearly. Hamilton kneeled on the floor next to her bed and watched her as she slept.  
  
He was so confused. He envied her peacefulness. He felt better just being in the same room with her now. He knew she was Ok...that she was safe. He felt the need to protect her. He wanted to keep her from hurting and from being hurt. He briefly relived the thoughts that his mind allowed him to remember. He remembered how he felt when he thought he might have lost her, how he felt when he thought that he might never see her again...that she could be out of his life. Hamilton had told Jake that he loved her. He knew that he meant it...it's just that now...he really felt it.  
  
Jake stirred in the bed. He was afraid of frightening her. He debated whether to wake her or sneak out the way he had come in...never letting her know that he was there. He knew the second choice was better but his conscience wouldn't allow it. "Jake?" He whispered as he reached out to touch her face. "Jake."   
  
Jake was sure she was dreaming. "Hamilton..." She smiled.  
  
"Jake." Hamilton shook her arm and Jake's eyes flew open. "Shhhh....it's me."  
  
"Hamilton? What are you doing here? How did you get in?" She asked still groggy with sleep.  
  
Hamilton ignored the entry questions. "Hi." He smiled. "I'm sorry I woke you...I couldn't sleep...and...I just..." Hamilton stuttered. He looked up at her. "I just had to see you...that's all."  
  
"Hamilton? Are you all right?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah...I am now. I'm sorry...really...." Hamilton rested his head on the edge of her bed. Jake reached out and ran her delicate hand through his hair. She could feel his body tremble.  
  
"Hamilton..." She whispered. "I'm Ok...Everything is fine now."  
  
"I couldn't sleep...I kept dreaming about you." Hamilton said keeping his head down.  
  
"You were?" She smiled.  
  
"Yeah, but they were not good dreams. I kept dreaming about last night...the things that I thought could have happened." He tried to explain but his voice began to crack. "I don't know what I would have done..." He stopped and Jake could see the mist forming in his eyes. "I should go...I'm sorry that I woke you." Hamilton started to stand.  
  
Jake reached out for Hamilton's hand. "You don't have to go." She said. They both were silent for a minute considering their options. Jake held open the covers and beckoned him into her bed. Without hesitation Hamilton crawled into the bed and curled up beside her. Hamilton reached out and wrapped his arms lovingly and protectively around her and pulled her body into his. Sex was the furthest thing from either of their minds tonight. "I love you" He whispered.  
  
"I know." Jake sighed in response. Hamilton closed his eyes and for the first time that night...he fell blissfully asleep.  
  
******************************  
  
Will and Scout walked into Bank's Service Station. "Hey lady" Will said.  
  
"Hi Will" Bella answered. "Hello Scout."  
  
Scout nodded, "Hi Bella." The sound of Bella's voice still made Scout blush a little.  
  
"What's up?" Will asked.  
  
"Nothing," Bella answered as she put her hand to her face to stifle a yawn. "I couldn't get to sleep last night."  
  
"I know...neither could we." Will said as he motioned to Scout. "Hey Bella...who do you think lives in the big brown house at the corner now?"  
  
Bella shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"What would you say...if I said lets go find out?" Will suggested.  
  
"I'd say...lead the way." Bella smiled.  
*******************************************  
  
The sunlight burned through Jake's eyelids. She awoke squinting into the morning sunshine. Hamilton still lay on his side with his arms curled around her. He looked as though he hadn't budged. She reached out and grabbed her watch from the night stand. She listened to the sounds of Hamilton's rhythmic breathing. She reveled in the feel of his arms around her.  
  
"Hamilton?" She shook him gently.  
  
"Mmmm" He moaned as he tightened his grip on her.  
  
"Hamilton." She repeated. "Hey...sleeping beauty, it's almost ten o'clock. What about your parents?" She asked.  
  
"It's Saturday. They'll sleep in and I'll tell them I got up early and went out." Hamilton closed his eyes again. Jake settled back down in bed.  
  
"Did you sleep Ok?" She asked.  
  
"I think I could get used to this, " He smiled, eyes still shut.  
  
"Well, don't" She reminded him.  
  
Hamilton opened his eyes to face her. "You know you could rethink the idea of me moving into the dorms with you." He looked slightly hopeful.  
  
"And you could rethink my original answer." She smiled.  
  
******************************  
  
"Wow, I haven't been down here in a long time." Bella smiled as she looked at the elementary school playground. "It seems so much smaller than I remember."  
  
"Yeah, it does." Will answered.  
  
"Thanks for the memories." Scout said feeling somewhat left out. "Where's the house?"  
  
That one." Bella pointed to a dilapidated old colonial that sat perched on the corner of Chestnut and Oak Grove.  
  
"I'm surprised it's still brown." Will said.  
"I'm surprised it's still standing." Scout remarked. The fence in front was missing and the two sides were in bad need of repair or removal. An old mailbox sat tilted in a poorly cemented cinder block. Bella, Will and Scout crossed the street for a closer look  
.  
"What is it exactly you're hoping to find" Bella asked Will.  
  
"I'm not sure. Maybe the people that bought the house from Melanie's parents will remember her." Will said.  
  
"And if they do?" Scout questioned.   
  
"I don't know. It's just a feeling." The three stood in front of the mailbox and looked up at the house from the street. The small red flag was in the air signaling that the mailman had come and gone. Will opened the mailbox and extracted the few letters housed inside.  
  
"Will! What are you doing? That's like a felony." Bella said looking nervous.  
  
"It's only a felony if I open it." Will answered. "Just looking is only a misdemeanor." He smiled as he replaced the mail into the silver box. "Follow me." He said as he opened the gate and followed the flagstone path to the front door. Scout and Bella followed like lemmings.  
  
Will knocked on the door and waited a minute. Slowly, an elderly woman approached and opened the door a few inches. " Hello," She smiled "Can I help you?"  
  
"Good morning Mrs. Kolopoolius." Will struggled with the name.  
  
"Kolopolus." The old woman corrected him, smiling at his attempt. "It's Greek" She said proudly.  
  
"Hello," Will said again. "We're here collecting returnable bottles and cans for the High School marching band's can drive. Can you help us out?" He asked.  
  
"How nice" She said. opening the door wider now. Bella saw the walker that she was leaning on. "Yes, I have a few things for you. I was waiting for the boy scouts to come around...but I guess you kids need a turn too." The old woman carefully turned the walker away from the door. "Come in children." She said.  
  
Will, Scout and Bella entered the woman's home. "Can I help you, Mrs. Kolopolus?" Will offered.  
  
"That's Ok. I have them right here...wait just a minute." The woman limped out of sight.  
  
"What are you doing?" Scout whispered.  
  
"I'm not sure." Will said.  
  
'Oh my God, Will...look." Bella pointed to an ancient console television set in the corner of the vacant living room.  
  
"Wow...that is old." Scout said. "I bet she bought it brand new."  
  
"No...look at the picture on top of it." Scout and Will were speechless. An eight by ten framed portrait of a happily posed family adorned the top of the set. A man, a woman. a pretty little girl with long blonde hair, and darker haired girl seated beside her. Melanie Manos smiled out from behind the glass.  
  
The sounds of the walker clicking back from the kitchen shook the three back into reality.  
  
"Here you go kids." Mrs. Kolopolus said. "Marching band...how nice. And what instruments do you play?" She asked.  
  
"Uh--I play the saxophone." Will said as he looked at Bella.  
  
"Flute?" Bella said trying to think quickly.  
  
The older woman looked to Scout who stood next in line. "Piano" He said.  
  
Will exhaled, rolling his eyes and tried not to laugh. Bella chuckled. Fortunately for them Mrs. Kolopolus' hearing was as bad as her arthritic knees. "That's just lovely." She said.  
  
Bella stepped forward. "Mrs. Kolopolus, do you have any grandchildren that go to school here in town?"  
  
The old woman looked down. "Not anymore." She said sadly. "My children are all grown and gone now."  
  
"What about grandchildren?" Bella repeated louder this time. The woman looked sad but more...she looked nervous.  
  
"Well, just one. She attends that big expensive girls school on the hill." She said.  
  
"Rawley Academy?" Scout asked already knowing the answer. The woman simply nodded.  
  
"That must be nice for you...does she come to visit you?" Bella asked.  
  
"You kids ask a lot of questions." She said as she slowly moved to the door.  
  
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kolopolus. We'll leave now, we have a bunch more houses still to collect from." Will said as he motioned to the door.  
  
"I was noticing the picture on top of the TV." Bella said, not wanting to leave before they got the information they came for. The woman looked past her and to the picture in the living room.  
  
"Yes, that's my daughter and her husband and their two children." She said quietly.  
  
"And the older girl...she's the one that goes to school at Rawley?" Bella questioned.  
  
"Melanie. Yes, do you know her?" Mrs. Kolopolus asked.  
  
"Mmmm she looks very familiar, but I don't think so." Bella said.  
  
"You look to be about her age." The woman said.  
  
"I don't go to Rawley Girls." Bella said sounding slightly disappointed.  
  
"What about the other girl?" Scout asked. "Does she go to school here too?"  
  
The old woman took a Kleenex from the inside of her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes. "No dear. I'm afraid she doesn't." It was obvious that the mention of the younger girl was upsetting to her.  
  
"What's her name?" Bella asked.  
  
"That was my little Phoebe." Mrs. Kolopolus said wiping at her face again. The three stood silent for a moment.  
  
"Was?" Will asked. The woman remained silent.  
  
"You must have a lot of work ahead of you." She said.  
  
"We do. Thank you Mrs. Kolopolus." Will said holding up the bag of cans. "This was really helpful." Will walked toward the door. Scout followed Will but Bella held her ground.  
  
"Does Phoebe go to school here too?" She asked. Mrs. Kolopolus shook her head.  
  
"I need to sit down." She said. "You kids won't mind letting yourselves out."  
  
Bella took the lead and guided the old woman to the overly stuffed chair in the living room. "Are you Ok?" She asked.  
  
"Yes." She nodded. She put the Kleenex to use again. "I miss her terribly."  
  
"She doesn't come to visit you?" Bella asked.  
  
The old woman smiled a little. "No, but I go to visit her as often as I can." She said.  
  
Bella had a knot in the pit of her stomach. She was sure now that she knew the answer but, she asked the question anyway.  
  
"Where do you go to visit her?" Bella asked.  
  
"Snowberry Lane." She answered.  
  
Bella and Will knew instantly that there were only three things on Snowberry Lane. The public works department, the fire station, and the cemetery. The silence was deafening. "I'm so sorry." Bella said her own eyes becoming misty. "We didn't mean to bring up such sad memories for you." Bella said feeling very guilty.  
  
"Oh honey, that's Ok. Not a day passes that I don't think about her." She said. "She was just a ray of sunshine. Such a happy girl." Mrs. Kolopolus smiled through her tears. "Did you know that Phoebe means 'light' in Greek?"  
  
"No, I didn't." Bella answered.  
  
"She had bright blonde hair when she came to us. That girl's smile could light up a room. She was the light in my life."  
  
"I can see she was." Bella wiped a tear from her own eye. "Did she get sick?" Bella asked.  
  
"It was such a tragedy. Such a shame." The woman shook her head again as the tears fell more freely now.  
  
"An accident?" Will asked, still standing in the foyer.  
  
"It was a fire. The poor little thing was trapped in her bedroom on the second floor."  
  
"I'm sorry" Bella said as she reached out for the old woman's wrinkled hand. "I'm very sorry.  
  
"It must be comforting to have Melanie living so close to you."  
  
"It scares me to have her living so close to me." Mrs. Kolopolus said under her breath, although Bella clearly heard the words. "Look, I'm very tired now, you kids should be on your way.  
  
"Yes," Bella said standing. "We'll go and we'll lock the door behind us. "Take care, Mrs. Kolopolus, it was nice meeting you."  
  
"And you too dear, good luck with the band." The old woman waved from her chair.  
  
They banged the door shut and walked away carrying a black plastic trash bag full of cans and heads filled with new unanswered questions.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Part VIII

Hamilton rolled over and stretched his arms over the edge of the single sized bed. The morning sunlight assaulted his still sleepy eyes. He put his hand to his mouth and stifled a long yawn. As he squinted into the day his brain reprocessed his surroundings. Something in him stirred. He sat up sharply and put his feet on the floor. He looked at the empty space where she had been. "Jake?" He called out. "Jake!" He yelled louder.  
  
Jake entered through the half opened door. She carried two paper bowls and two plastic spoons. "Shhh. Hamilton, I'm right here. Stop shouting." She said. Jake extracted two single serving boxes of cereal from one pocket and another box of cereal and small carton of milk from the other.  
  
"Where were you?" Hamilton questioned sounding concerned.  
  
Jake held up the cereal. "Breakfast...sleeping beauty. I got in under the wire too, they were starting to set up for lunch." Jake handed Hamilton a bowl and spoon and tossed two of the boxes of cereal onto his lap. "Hope that's Ok." She said.  
  
Hamilton picked up the boxes of Frosted Flakes. "They're Grrrrreat!" He chuckled.  
  
"Cute..." She said. Jake sat crossed legged on the bottom of the bed while Hamilton propped a pillow behind his back. She poured some milk into her cereal and handed Hamilton the carton. She smiled to herself as she watched him promptly drain it into his bowl with his usual lack of consideration for anyone but himself, at least when it came to food.  
  
"Breakfast in bed?" He winked. Jake blushed slightly. "Hey, thanks for letting me stay here last night. I really needed to be with you." He said.  
  
"Well, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me....this week." She giggled. He smiled back at her again.  
  
"I heard that Ryder was moved to the infirmary this morning." She told him.  
  
"Really...I guess that means he's Ok." He said.  
  
"I hope he realizes how lucky he is that you were there last night. Can you imagine what could have happened?" She questioned.  
  
"Yeah...and I'd rather not think about it right now." Hamilton said as he tried to clear his mind of all the unpleasant thoughts he'd been having continuously over the last twenty-four hours.  
  
"Seriously Hamilton you were a hero." She said.  
  
"Well, I don't feel much like a hero. I think I'll check in on him later." Hamilton said.  
  
"Good idea, I'll join you." Jake got off the bed and dumped her empty bowl and spoon into the trash. "I think I'll grab a quick shower." She said.  
  
"Good idea, I'll join you" Hamilton said smiling. Jake took the empty dish from Hamilton and discarded it. She returned to him and sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips...she looked into his eyes.  
  
"No way." She smiled as she backed away from him.  
  
Hamilton felt uncomfortable leaving Jake alone. He felt the need to watch over her, to protect her. At her urging, he reluctantly left her to shower and change and proceeded to his own house to do the same. This time...he would remember to wear sneakers.  
  
******************************  
  
"So, does anyone have any idea what all this means?" Bella asked.  
  
Scout sat with his feet propped up lazily on a display of tires. "Not a clue."  
  
"So we know that Melanie went to school here in New Rawley when she was...what around 8 or 9. Then her parents moved because of her fathers job...but her Grandmother still lives in the original house." Will said.  
  
"Right...and she had a sister, who died in a fire." Bella added.  
  
"Man...that's rough" Scout said.  
  
"Maybe that explains the chip on her shoulder." Bella suggested.  
  
Scout took his feet off the tires and stood, stretching. "I'm still confused." He said.  
  
Will smiled broadly and Bella chuckled. In unison they said, "And this would be different...how?"   
  
Scout smiled back, "Funny. I'm serious. What does any of this have to do with anything?"  
  
Will and Bella looked at each other. "I don't know...exactly. There's just something about her that makes me...uncomfortable." Bella answered.  
  
"So, now what?" Scout asked,  
  
"I guess we should check in and see how Hamilton is today. He was really out freaked last night." Will said.  
  
"I've still got some work to do around here. Why don't you guys head back to school and I'll catch up with you later?" Bella said.  
  
"Right...Ok. We'll see you later on." Will motioned to Scout and the pair headed out the door.  
Bella considered her options. She waited patiently for her younger sister Grace to relieve her of her gas station duties. When she did, Bella left heading back in the direction of Hillside Elementary School.  
  
******************************  
  
"I haven't been in here since Orientation Day." Jake said to Hamilton as they strolled the halls in the direction of the school infirmary. As they reached the door the nurse at the window stopped them.  
  
"We'd like to see Ryder Forrest...if it's Ok." Hamilton said.  
  
The nurse made then sign in and directed them toward a bed at the end of long room. "You really shouldn't stay long. He needs to be resting." She said.  
  
Hamilton and Jake walked the length of the room to the last bed on the left. The curtain was pulled shut and they both hesitated in front of it.  
  
Hamilton cleared his throat. "Ryder?"  
  
"I'm here." Ryder answered. Hamilton pulled the curtain back. Ryder lay back encased in the sterility of hospital linens. A thin strand of rubber tubing pumped oxygen into his nose. An intravenous was running into one arm and leads and wires connected his chest to a box on the wall. A steady blip blip blip sound came from the monitor with each beat of Ryder's heart.  
  
"Well, well...Master Fleming. I hear that my parents owe you a debt of gratitude."  
  
"How are you Ryder?" Hamilton stuttered.  
  
"I'm fine...now." Ryder answered him.  
  
"What happened?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"Funny you should ask." Ryder said sarcastically. Hamilton pulled the curtain back a bit further to reveal Jake who was standing just outside. Ryder's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing here?" His voice raised. Jake was surprised by his sudden volatile reaction.  
  
"Get out!" Ryder yelled. "If it weren't for you...I wouldn't be here!" Ryder stared at Jake and continued to yell causing the nurse to respond immediately.  
  
"Mr. Forrest calm yourself. You should be getting excited.  
  
Hamilton looked confused. "Ryder...what do you mean?"  
  
"Your little boy toy tried to poison me last night." His British accent getting in the way of his intended sarcasm.  
  
Jake was stunned. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"Get the hell out of here!" Ryder hollered again.  
  
The nurse left Ryder's side and put a hand to Hamilton's back. She ushered him toward the door with Jake close behind. "It's Ok...he's still a little confused because of the medications he's been given."  
  
"What does he mean...poison?" Hamilton asked her.  
  
The nurse responded calmly. "It appears that Ryder ingested something last night, something that caused him to be very sick. If you hadn't pulled him out of the water...chance are, he wouldn't be here with us today." She tried to sound reassuring. "He's going to be just fine now, thanks to you."  
  
"Someone tried to poison him?" Hamilton looked dumbfounded. He turned to look at Jake who was turning a whiter shade of pale. "Jake are you Ok?" He asked.  
  
"He thinks it was me?" She said. "Oh my God...he's blaming me for this." Jake turned and ran down the hallway toward the exit.   
  
As Hamilton left the school building he found Jake seated on the lower step with her head resting on her knees. "Jake...come on. You heard the nurse, he doesn't know what he's saying." Hamilton tried to console her.  
  
"Why Hamilton...why does he think I would try to hurt him?" Jake asked.  
  
"Well, not that I think you did it or anything...but it's not like you and Ryder are best buds." Hamilton said looking like he was stating the obvious.  
  
Jake looked at Hamilton in disbelief. She shook her head. "I didn't do anything. I can't believe you would say something like that. Most of the Rawley population can't stand Ryder. You...for example. It pisses you off that he teases us about being gay." Jake was beginning to hyperventilate.  
  
"Jake, calm down. No one thinks you did anything." Hamilton said. "You're right...I guess if we took a poll...there's a lot of people who would like to poison Ryder. The suspect list would be endless." Hamilton smiled.  
  
"I've gotta go." She said.  
  
"Back to the dorms?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"No...I've gotta leave Rawley." Jake answered.  
  
"What? Why?" Hamilton's mouth fell open.  
  
"Hamilton...if Ryder accuses me of trying to poison him...hell, if he accuses any one of anything, there WILL be an investigation. Police WILL be involved Hamilton. I WILL get caught. I WILL be escorted to the border by the 'men in blue'" She said.  
  
"Jake...don't be so dramatic. Stop worrying. We'll figure something out." Hamilton said out loud although he was at a loss to think of what that might be.  
  
"Hamilton, I have to leave Rawley." Jake rested her head back on her knees.  
  
******************************  
  
Scout and Will traveled up the stone steps passing Melanie on her way down. "Hey, where's Hamilton?" She said.  
  
"No idea." Will said as he continued up the stairs.  
  
"I need to talk to him, it's important." She said taking the time to stop and watch the back of both boys as they entered through the doors of the school building.  
  
"He doesn't live here Melanie." Scout shouted before the door shut.  
  
Once inside Will stopped. "She's looking for Ham." He said to Scout.  
  
"She's always looking for Ham." Scout replied.  
  
"Mmmm. I've got an idea." Will said as he headed back outside the building. "Melanie!" He called from the top step. Melanie turned around to look at him. "I'm pretty sure that Hamilton was planning to go..." Will tried to think quickly. "...he was heading to the volley ball courts. They're on the other side of the lake. If you head toward the dock and then walk all the way around to the other side...you should find him." Will said pointing his finger toward the lake.  
  
"Was Jack with him?" Melanie called back.  
  
"No...he was all alone." Will said slowly. Melanie turned on her heels and headed down to the dock.  
"Who's Jack?" Scout questioned. And...there are no volley ball courts at Rawley...are there?" Scout asked looking confused.  
  
"No...there aren't" Will said smiling.  
  
"So...what was the purpose of sending Melanie on a wild goose chase."  
  
"I think it's time we paid Caroline a visit." Will answered.  
  
"I think I'll sit this one out. I'm getting just a little tired of standing by and watching Hamilton and Jake drool all over each other. I'm in no mood to watch you with Caroline." Scout replied.  
  
"Seems to me that Caroline lives on the third floor of Rawley Academy for Girls....about three doors down from Melanie Manos. Coincidence or convenience?" Will asked.  
  
"Buddy boy...I like the way you think. Let's go." Scout added.  
  
******************************  
  
  
Bella knocked on the front door of Mrs. Kolopolus' house. She waited patiently remembering how difficult it was for the older woman to get around. She knocked again. "Mrs. Kolopolus?" She called out. "Hello?" Bella hesitated. She reached down and turned the handle on the old wooden door. She was surprised when she found that it was unlocked. She hesitated again. Finally, Bella took in a deep breath and opened the door. "Mrs. Kolopolus?" She called out loudly. "Is anyone home?" Bella walked through the front foyer and listened to the stillness. She walked into the kitchen and saw that everything appeared to be in order. She back tracked to the living room and again found no one. Bella walked toward the old TV and picked up the framed picture perched on top. She stared into Melanie's dark eyes. What was it about this girl that intrigued her so much?  
  
"What do you want?" An angry voice startled Bella and she dropped the picture to the floor scattering shards of glass onto the worn carpeting. Bella turned to see Mrs. Kolopolus standing with her walker in the doorway.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Bella stuttered trying to regain her composure. "I called out...but no one answered." She said.  
  
"And that gives you the right to just come into my home?" She said still sounding angry.  
  
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kolopolus. I'm very sorry. I knocked but the door was unlocked." Bella tried to explain.  
  
"Unlocked, yes. Closed, yes." The older woman said.  
  
Bella was speechless. She knew this was a bad idea and yet she felt compelled to return.  
  
"I came back...I don't know if you remember me...I was here earlier...." Bella was quickly cut off.  
  
"I'm old dear, not senile...and least not yet." Mrs. Kolopolus smiled...the edge in her voice lifting slightly.  
  
"I mean...I came back because I wanted to show you this." Bella extracted the fourth grade class picture from her backpack. She approached the woman and handed it to her.   
It took a moment for her to process all the little smiling faces before a smile came to her own. "My my... is that Melanie?" She said softly. "She looks like such a dear...then."  
  
"Isn't it Melanie?" Bella asked.  
  
"I think so. I'm not really sure...it could be. My daughter and her husband took those girls from foster care. They lived here with me for a year or two when the children were younger. It was nice to have a little laughter in the house, it's so desperately quiet here now." Mrs. Kolopolus sighed as she looked around at the walls that kept her enclosed. "I don't get out much these days. I don't get around so good anymore."  
  
"I didn't really know Melanie when we were in school together. I wasn't sure if that was really her or not. This is me..." Bella pointed to herself in the picture.  
  
"Adorable..." The woman smiled. "Melanie didn't have many friends then. She didn't make friends easily."  
  
"And...she still doesn't." Bella thought to herself.  
  
"She used to come home from school and cry...." Mrs. Kolopolus moved herself to the sofa and took a seat motioning to Bella to do the same. "...she cried because she said everyone at school teased her, especially the boys. She was sure that no one liked her. She was so unhappy with herself."   
  
Bella watched the old woman's face. The memories of Melanie as a young girl seemed to make her sad.  
  
"She didn't have any friends?" Bella asked.  
  
"Oh just one little boy. A little neighborhood boy that didn't go to her school. She talked about him all the time. You know how kids are...they take crazy notions when they're young. She said she was going to grow up and marry him someday. " Mrs. Kolopolus grinned.  
  
"Do you know who the boy was?" Bella asked.  
  
"Oh...I don't remember things so good anymore. Once my daughter moved away...I never thought much about him again...until now." She answered.  
  
"Where did they move away to?" Bella asked.  
  
"They moved out of state...to New York. My son-in-law's business took him there. It was good money...so they packed up and left. Melanie grew up in that city. The next time they came for a visit I hardly recognized her."   
  
"What do you mean?" Bella questioned.  
  
"She changed a lot. She lost some of the baby fat she had, and she changed her hair. She didn't have to wear braces anymore and she no longer wore glasses. She had grown into quite a beauty." Mrs. Kolopolus remembered.  
  
"That must have made her happy." Bella said.   
  
"Well, dear...it's just an old ladies opinion but you have to be happy on the inside before you can be happy with the outside." She said.  
  
"And you don't think Melanie was happy?" Bella asked.  
  
"I think she was a little jealous of her sister. My daughter wanted to adopt Phoebe...Melanie, on the other hand, was quite a handful"  
  
"Just Phoebe?" Bella asked.  
"Yes. She was the light of my life. She was the light of everybody's life. She was so sweet and talented. Did you know she sang?" She asked. Bella shook her head.  
  
"Like a lark. Everybody loved Phoebe." Mrs. Kolopolus reached into her sleeve for her well used hankie and dabbed at her eyes.  
  
"How long has it been since Phoebe....um...." Bella hesitated.  
  
"Passed on?" She finished her thought. "A year ago last May. Such a terrible thing. It's just something you never get over."  
  
Bella reached over and placed a comforting hand on the old woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your granddaughter." Bella said sincerely.  
  
"Did I tell you that Phoebe means 'light' in Greek?" She said. Bella nodded. "And Melanie means 'dark'. Funny isn't it?"   
  
Bella felt her stomach pitch. "Where did Melanie go to school last year, before she changed to Rawley Girls?" Bella asked.  
  
Mrs. Kolopolus was silent for a short while. "Melanie was in a special school for a while. A special place. She had a lot of trouble getting over the death of her sister. My daughter said that she went to a school that was helping her deal with things. I think she called them her 'issues'. I guess they don't like to worry me with all the details. I can tell though...something was wrong with that young girl."  
  
Bella stood and started to pick up the pieces of the broken frame. "I'm sorry about this Mrs. Kolopolus, I'll replace it." She said.  
  
"Don't you pay that no mind dear. Those kind of accidents are easy to fix." She said.  
Bella swept up the glass and emptied the contents of the dustpan into the trash. "I guess I should get going. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Bella asked. She felt a little guilty now leaving her all alone in the old lonely house.  
  
"Not a thing. You feel free to drop by anytime. I'll be saving my bottles and cans for you."  
  
She smiled at Bella and Bella smiled back. She waved and pulled the door shut tight behind her. Bella wasn't sure that she had learned anything new about Melanie, but she was quite sure that she had a made a new friend in Mrs. Kolopolus.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Part IX

Will slipped his ATM card in between the door and frame looking for the resistance of the bar lock. He wiggled the card slightly and then felt the lock give in. "Presto" He whispered to Scout. Will held the door and let Scout walk through first  
.  
"So what are we looking for?" Scout whispered back.   
Will just shrugged his shoulders. "No idea...but according to Bella we'll know when we find it." Will replied.  
  
"A single..." Scout said looking around the room and only viewing one single bed. "Some potential roommate doesn't know how lucky she is." Scout said sarcastically.  
  
Will chuckled. He headed toward the closet door and opened it. "Oh my God!" He said.  
  
"What...what is it, what did you find?" Scout said rushing to Will's side.  
  
"Look at the wardrobe this chick has." Will said astounded. Scout shook his head. "I'd say she is defiantly high maintenance."  
  
Scout sighed and returned to looked over the contents of Melanie's desk. The usual books and papers lay scattered. A copy of Othello sat on the top, its binding looking very much intact. "I guess she doesn't plan much on reading this." Scout said.  
  
Will looked at him questioningly, "Read it? She's living it" He said.  
  
Scout moved to the standard issue set of drawers. "Undies...socks....more undies....she seems pretty typical so far. Isn't there a possibility that she's NOT hiding anyting? Maybe she's just a generic bitch." Scout said.  
  
"Shhhh...keep you voice down." Will said grinning broadly. Scout pulled open the next drawer and carefully perused her jewelry box and an abundance of accessories. He pulled open the bottom drawer and looked through a pile containing an address book, stationary and a few photo albums.  
  
"Not much here...I'm starting to feel a little creeped out by all this." Scout started to close the drawer when something inside caught his eye. "Hey..." He said to Will in a whispered voice. "This looks like...us?" Scout held up a photograph of the crew team. Will left the closet, leaving it open, and joined Scout at the drawers.  
  
"Why would she have a picture of us?" Will said looking over Scout's shoulder.  
  
"Maybe she's our biggest fan?" Scout smirked.  
  
"Would you be serious." Will said as he reached into the drawer and extracted the address book. Will flipped through it randomly starting to feel a little guilty too about searching through Melanie's things. "Maybe we should get out of here." Will suggested. As he put the address book back in the drawer he decided to take a quick glance through the photo album on the top of the pile before they exited. The first few pages looked like anybody's typical family memories. Pictures of what he supposed were Melanie and her family. A little girl wading in a kiddie pool, a few pictures of the beach, a birthday party. The next few pages astounded him "Oh...wow." He said as his mouth fell open. Will carefully turned the pages. There were pictures of a young boy playing with his golden retriever puppies. The pages that followed were both familiar and disturbing. The same young man adorned each of the remaining pages. Scout and Will turned each one carefully easily recognizing the piercing blue eyed stare of Hamilton Fleming. The door knob clicked as if it were about to be opened startling them into reality. Will dropped the album and shut the drawer with his foot. He pushed Scout into the open closet and followed him in shutting the door.  
  
"Sure, Fleming hides in a closet and gets to be up close and personal with his girlfriend. I get to be in here with you." Scout whispered in the darkness.  
  
"Shut up. " Will said and they each held their breath as the door creaked open.  
  
  
  
Will slowly exhaled allowing the air escape from his lungs. He could feel Scout's warm breath on his cheek in the confines of the small stuffy closet. He heard the sounds of paper shuffling on the desk. He could hear her opening her drawers. He silently hoped that he and Scout had left no evidence of their visit. Rummaging sounds of papers and plastic bags were audible as Will and Scout patiently waited. Seconds felt like hours and nervous sweat began to form on Will's brow. He could hear the sound of squeaky sneakered footsteps and he felt her presence as she neared the closet door. Will reached for the handle of the door and pulled it in as hard as he could. It was only a moment before he felt the knob being turned from the other side. Will held firmly as she tugged against his grip.  
  
"Damn it." She said as she kicked the bottom of the door.  
  
Will's eyes opened in sudden recognition and he smiled to himself. His hand dropped from the door knob and he let it slowly ease open. The door was quickly pulled open from the other side and a female voice gasped in sudden surprise.  
  
"Oh!" she inhaled, as her hand covered her mouth.  
  
"Bella?" Scout said with astonishment.  
  
"Bella!! What are you doing here?" Will said with concern, bordering on anger.  
  
"Hey, I could ask you two the same thing, Don't you have a closet in your room you could hang out in?" She chuckled as the two emerged from the cramped space. "Did you guys find anything?" She asked knowing full well why they were there.  
  
"Yeah...come on, we'd better get out of here...or all three of us could end up in that closet." Will said heading toward the door.  
  
"And...so what's the hurry?" Scout whispered as he followed the other two.  
  
He shut the door quietly and ran to catch up.   
  
"How did you get in?" Will turned back to ask Bella.  
  
"I just picked the lock with a nail file." She said extracting it from her pocket to show him.  
Scout shrugged his shoulders. "I wonder why they bother to put locks on the doors around here." He said  
.  
"Shhhh" Will responded with a smile.  
  
******************************  
  
The evening was warm and the colors of the sunset sparkled over the lake. Jake and Hamilton sat stretched out together in the privacy of the empty picnic area.  
  
Jake was quiet. Her thoughts drifted aimlessly. "Jake, come on. It's going to be all right." Hamilton said attempting to console her.  
  
"No, it isn't." She shook her head as she answered him. "I've gotta go. I have no choice." She said.  
  
"You can't leave." He said.  
  
"Why not?" She replied looking up at him.  
  
"Because..." He hesitated. "I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave...Rawley."  
  
"You don't want me to leave school?" She smiled slightly.  
  
"Ok...I don't want you to leave...me." He admitted. "You know I love you."  
  
"I won't be leaving you...exactly. I just need to get away from here until all this blows over. Ryder's going to be Ok and that's good. Maybe if I'm not here...then he'll let the whole thing drop. Trust me Hamilton it will end up being better this way." She explained.  
  
"Where would you go?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know...home I guess. I'll go back to New York for a little while and I can think about which school I want to go to next." She tried to look convincingly happy but it wasn't really working.  
  
Hamilton reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. "I wish you didn't feel this way. I wish you didn't feel like you had to leave." He whispered. "Would you ever consider maybe telling the truth?" He suggested.  
  
"What? Do you mean about being a girl?" She sat up straighter and looked at him. "Hamilton I could get in trouble. I'd get kicked out of school." She said.  
  
"So what's the difference. You're leaving now anyway." He replied. Jake was silent again. She thought about what he was saying. It might be better in the long run to admit to her gender. If she did Hamilton's reputation, as well as her own, would be restored and maybe she could visit him from time to time and they could openly admit to being a couple.  
  
"Maybe...we'll see." She said.  
  
"When are you leaving?" He asked assuming that she had already made the decision.  
  
"Can't wait to get rid of me?" She smiled.  
  
"Of course not. It's just that...well...if this is our last night together..." He reached across and held her face in his hand. He gently kissed her.  
  
"Hamilton..." She whispered as a small teardrop dangled from her eye. "I love you too."   
  
"I don't want to go home tonight...I don't want to leave you." He easily pushed her backward onto the grass and moved to lay beside her. She rested her head on his arm and he lovingly held her close to him.  
  
*******************************  
  
"There's still no answer." Scout said as he clicked off his cellular phone and put it back in his pocket. "Jake must have hers turned off.  
  
"Try Hamilton's house again." Bella suggested.  
  
"Bella, we've called Ham's house twice already. His mother said she'd have him call when he gets in. We don't want her to think anything's wrong." Will said.  
  
They sat in their booth at Friendly's, each of them merely picking at the food on the plates that sat in front of them.  
  
"So what's that stuff you found in Melanie's waste basket?" Will asked Bella. Bella shifted in her seat and pulled a small brown bottle from her pocket. Syrup of Ipecac..." She read aloud.  
  
"Sounds gross." Scout added.  
  
"It is...it's only purpose is to make you throw up." She commented as she read the side of the bottle. I found two other bottles in her underwear drawer."  
  
"I only noticed underwear in her underwear drawer." Scout smiled.  
  
"I didn't take those...they looked like pill bottles." She said.  
  
"Like vitamins or something?" Will asked.  
  
"No...more like perscriptions. One was called Stelazine and the other was something like Risperadal" Bella said.  
  
"What are those for?" Scout asked.  
  
Bella shrugged "I have no idea but I suppose we could find out. So, why do you think Melanie had all those pictures of Hamilton in her room?" Bella asked.  
  
"I don't know, an unhealthy obsession I guess." Scout said.  
  
"So, if they did know each other...why didn't Hamilton tell us that?" Bella said.  
  
"Bella...I don't know. We've got to find Hamilton and ask him. If we don't see him tonight then we'll see him at the crew meet tomorrow." Will answered.  
  
"Oh man. I almost forgot about that. What time is it anyway?" Scout asked.  
  
"Almost 11:00 p.m.." Will said looking at his watch.  
  
"Maybe we should call it a night and collect the rest of the puzzle pieces tomorrow. He said as he put his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.  
  
Bella stood up. "This whole thing is making me crazy." She said.  
  
"I'll walk you home Bella." Scout said as he stood beside her. Bella smiled.   
  
"It's OK Scout...but if it makes you feel better...you can watch me from the window."   
  
Will and Scout walked home slowly. "It really freaked me out to see all those pictures of Hamilton in that album." Will said.  
  
"Yeah...well it could have been worse." Scout suggested.  
  
"How?" Will asked.  
  
"She could have drawn bullseyes' on them all." He smiled making Will laugh.  
  
Scout walked through the Common Room. There were still a few scattered students watching TV. "Hey..." Will said to them in acknowledgment.  
  
"Hey Will." One young boy replied with a wave. The front door swung open quickly and then slammed shut.  
  
"Someone's heading out after curfew." Scout said. Will thought he heard the familiar sound of clicking high heels but assuming he was wrong he ignored it and headed upstairs with Scout in tow.  
  
******************************  
  
"It's late Hamilton. We really should be getting back." Hamilton tightened his grasp on her waist.  
  
"Couldn't we just stay here all night?" He said.  
  
"We could...but then we'd be late for crew tomorrow." She answered.  
  
"No....we wouldn't be late.....we'd be really early" He smiled. "We'd be the first one's here. Wouldn't that freak Finn out?" Hamilton smiled.  
  
"You on time...now that would freak anyone out." Jake laughed.  
  
"Just a little while longer Jake...please?" He pouted.  
  
"Just a little while longer." She smiled back at him and found his mouth with hers. They wrapped themselves up in each other and blocked out the rest of world.  
  
******************************  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow Hamilton, OK?" She whispered.  
  
"I just want to make sure that you get in all right." He said.  
  
"You'll hear me scream." She said smiling. "Look, I'll be fine. Your house is two minutes in that direction. " She pointed as she spoke. "I have to walk five minutes in that direction." She spun around still pointing. "Save you're strength for the race. We're gonna need it, Carson is a tough team.   
  
"All right...all right. I'll see you in the morning at the lake." He said. He leaned forward giving her a long, passionate, goodnight kiss.   
  
"Good-bye Hamilton." She said. "I love you." Hamilton walked backwards a few steps.  
  
"I love you too." He had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something in the way she said good-bye made him feel as though he wouldn't see her again. His instinct told him to run after her and insist on spending the night as he had before. But, he chalked this feeling up to all the talking they had done about her leaving Rawley and he continued on the path for home.  
  
******************************  
  
Jake quietly stumbled in through the kitchen door as Hamilton had suggested. She maneuvered through the darkened Common Room and found her way to the staircase. She briefly thought about packing her stuff and leaving before the sun came up. But, Rawley felt so much like home to her now, so much better than home. She had good friends, a great boyfriend, she was part of a team now and she didn't feel like she could let her teammates down. If she was going to go, she would plan to leave after the race. Out of habit Jake reached up and slid her hand over the top of the door. She remembered Hamilton's worried lecture and reached into the pocket of her jeans to find her key. She unlocked the door and let herself in closing and locking it behind her. She left the light off and undressed herself by the light of the moon streaming in through her opened window. Jake collapsed on the bed and tried to forget about the headaches of the day. She thought about Hamilton and it wasn't long before she was sound asleep.  
  
Hamilton was met by the familiar sounds of panting and wagging. "Hi girls." He said as he petted each dog in turn. He found his way to the kitchen and guided his hand by the light inside the refrigerator. He grabbed the carton of milk and a handful of cookies and headed upstairs to bed. He played the events of the last two days over and over again in his head. He tried to think of a solution to Jake's problem but he came up empty handed. He undressed to his boxer shorts and lay down on the bed. He lulled himself to sleep as he always did...thinking about Jake.  
  
Jake awoke a few hours later to the sound of music from her alarm clock. "Damn..." She said out loud, still not wanting to open her eyes. Jake inhaled and exhaled loudly. Jake was used to getting up earlier than everyone else at Rawley so that she could leisurely shower in private. Jake threw back the covers on the bed and hesitated again about leaving the warmth and comfort of her bed. She imagined that she could still smell Hamilton's scent on her sheets from the night before and that made her smile. Finally Jake took the plunge and put her warm feet on the cold floor. She rubbed her eyes, stretched and yawned. As she stood up Jake saw the envelope lying on her bedroom floor. She bent over and picked it up.   
  
I have a big surprise for you.  
Meet me at the groundskeepers shed   
as soon as you get this.  
I'll be waiting for you.  
  
Jake smiled instantly. She wondered what Hamilton was up to now. She slipped into her jeans from the night before. She encased herself in her corset, on the off chance anyone else was awake, and threw on a heavy sweatshirt. On went her sneakers with no time for socks and she was out the door leaving it slightly ajar.  
  
Jake left the school building quietly. The early morning dew on the grass dampened her sneakers. She headed down the grassy hill and past the lake. The morning felt crisp and cool and the fresh air cleared her head. She finally reached the door of the shed. "Hamilton?" She called out. Jake reached for the spring latch that held the door shut and opened it. She hesitated at first and then stepped into what appeared to be a deserted building. The musty smell immediately assaulted her nose. Landscaping equipment littered the floor and the walls were lined with multiple sizes of trimming shears and gardening tools. "Hamilton?" She called out again. She could smell the oil from the leaky mowers nearby. She heard the footsteps behind her but it was too late. Without warning Jake felt a sudden and shocking pain in her head. Before she could turn around her eyesight slowly faded into darkness and she was unable to feel herself fall to the ground.  
  
"Hamilton!" His father called from the bottom step. "Let's go! We have meet today a very important meet."  
  
"What's with the 'We'" Hamilton thought. He couldn't remember ever seeing his father in a boat. "I'll be right down." He answered.  
  
Hamilton climbed out of bed and extracted his Rawley crew tank top from a pile of clean folded clothes his mother had left on his dresser. He pulled on shorts and looked around for his sneakers. The one bright spot to getting up this early was that he would see Jake again. That thought alone made Hamilton hurry.  
  
Kate and Stephen Fleming stood waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, Son. Get a move on." Stephen said.  
  
"I'm here..." Hamilton ran down the stairs.  
  
"Here you go Munchie." Kate said as she handed him a granola bar and an orange juice box.  
  
"Breakfast of champions. Thanks Mom." He said.  
  
"Scout Calhoun called here last night honey. " Kate said.  
  
"Did he say what he wanted?" Hamilton asked.  
  
"No...he said he was anxious to talk to you. Actually he called a couple of times." She replied.  
  
"Let's go...you can talk to your friends after the race." Stephen said ushering them all out the door.  
  
Will and Scout stood on the dock with a few other rowers. Finn awaited the arrival of the rest of his team. The Carson crew team was already here and engaged in stretching exercises on the bank of the lake. Bella sat alone in the stands until Kate Fleming joined her.  
  
"Morning Mrs. Fleming" Bella said.  
  
"Good morning Bella."   
  
"Where's Mr. Pratt?" Finn asked.  
  
"He'll be here...any second." Hamilton said as he looked around. It was unusual for Jake to be late.   
  
The Rawley team looked ready. All they needed now was their coxswain. The Carson team boarded their boat and the coach bent down on the dock to give them one last pep talk.  
  
"Where's Jake?" Will whispered to Hamilton.  
  
"I don't know" He answered.   
  
"Can someone wake up our coxswain please." Finn requested. He was looking slightly frazzled already and now had the added pleasure of the Dean reminding him of how important this race this was.  
  
Will ran up to the stands. "Bella, can you go see if Jake's still sleeping?" He asked.  
  
Without answering Bella jumped up and ran toward the school's dormitory building.  
  
Melanie walked down the length of the bank in white shorts and a tight red halter top. She had finally invested in more appropriate footwear. She took a seat in the stands and crossed on tanned leg over the other showing off her pretty painted toe nails through her open toes sandals.  
  
"Good morning Mrs. Fleming." Melanie said.  
  
"Hi Melanie. How are you enjoying Rawley Girls?" She asked.  
  
"It's great. I love it here. I want to thank you." Melanie said.  
  
Thank me honey? For what?" Kate asked.  
  
"Thank you for Hamilton. He's wonderful. I don't know what I would do without him. I don't know if he's told you or not....but he and I....well...."  
  
"You and he are....what? Dating?" Kate asked. Melanie nodded her head and gave her a big smile. "No...he didn't mention that. That's very nice Melanie." Kate could feel the heat in her face. She was embarrassed that Hamilton hadn't mentioned anything to her. Stephen Fleming had overheard the conversation. He stood back and said nothing.  
  
Bella came running back over the hill slightly winded. She shook her head side to side and raised her hands as if to say "I have no idea where Jake is."  
  
"Where could she be Ham?" Scout asked.  
  
"I don't know." Hamilton looked down. It suddenly hit him that Jake had lied to him last night. She probably packed up her stuff and took off last night or early this morning. He had sensed that her "good-bye" was for real and now his suspicions were confirmed.  
  
"Mr. Calhoun..." Finn said, "You will serve as our coxswain today. Gentleman...to the boat."  
  
The rowers climbed in. Motivation was running high this morning as the competition was good. This would be a big win for Rawley and could place them in the quarterfinals.  
  
Will poked Hamilton in the back. "Any ideas, Ham?" Hamilton shook his head. He just wasn't going to concentrate on it right now. After all, there was very little he could do.  
  
******************************  
  
The enthusiasm in the boys locker room was overbearing. Hamilton sat on the bench in front of his locker still wrapped in a towel. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He already felt lonely and Jake had only been gone a matter of hours.  
  
"Buddy...what's up?" Scout said seeming to feel his pain.  
  
"Nothing." Hamilton said. Will joined them.  
  
"Where were you last night?" Will asked. "We were looking for you."  
  
"I was with Jake." Hamilton answered.  
  
"Where is Jake today?" Will questioned.  
  
"Did you two join the Spanish inquisition or something?" Hamilton responded. "Look if you have to know...." Hamilton lowered his voice. "I think Jake might have left Rawley. I don't think she's coming back."  
  
"What?" Will questioned.  
  
"You never called us back last night Hamilton." Scout said "We were worried." Hamilton slid farther away from Scout on the bench.  
  
"Why?" He asked.  
  
"Look we found out some stuff about Melanie." Will said.  
  
"Melanie who?" Hamilton wrinkled his nose as he asked. Scout and Will looked at each other.  
  
"Manos...Melanie Manos...the president of the Hamilton Fleming fan club.  
  
Hamilton stood up. "What are you talking about?" He looked back at Scout as he opened his locker.  
  
"Melanie Manos...the psycho paparazzi" Scout added. Hamilton looked at him even more confused.  
  
An envelope fell out of his locker and onto the floor at his feet. Hamilton bent over and picked it up.  
  
"Be careful man...that could be from HER!" Scout yelled as he slapped the envelope from his hand and back onto the floor.  
  
"What is your problem Calhoun? Are you losing it?" Hamilton bent over a second time and picked up the envelope. He tore it open and read the note inside leaving him looking even more perplexed.  
  
"Is it from her?" Scout asked.  
  
"Who?" Said Hamilton.  
  
"Melanie the psycho stalker..." Scout replied.  
  
Hamilton handed the note to Will.   
  
My dearest Hamilton,  
I'm sorry that I have to leave Rawley....and you. You've been really great to me but I think that I'm just really confused about everything and I need to go and get my head together. I should confess that there is someone else in my life right now and I think it would be better if I try to make things work with her. In time, I hope you'll understand.  
"J"  
  
  
Will looked up and met Hamilton's eyes. He handed the note to Scout and waited a moment while he read it.  
  
"Oh my God...you mean Jake's a lesbian?" Scout exclaimed.  
  
Will rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Not exactly Sherlock." Hamilton said. "Jake didn't write that note. Someone who thinks that she's really a HE wrote that note."  
  
"And that would be everybody except us." Will said.  
  
***************************************************  
  
  
  
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"  
  
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.  
  
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.  
  
"Eliminating obstacles." Melanie replied. Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that is already mine. And, I'm taking him back." She said.  
  
The word "him" hit Jake like a fist. "Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.  
  
"Of course. He's mine...he's always been mine. " Melanie paced back and forth in front of her. Jake moved her eyes left to right in an attempt to keep up. The movement increased the pain in her head and now caused her to feel dizzy. Finally Jake gave up, lowering her chin to her chest, shutting her eyes and just listening.  
  
"I came back to New Rawley to be with him. He's been waiting for me. He wanted me to come back. He asked me to come back here." Jake tried to focus on the still moving Melanie. "I love him. I've always loved him He loves me, he told me. We're so much alike. I remember the first day I saw him at the town picnic. All the other kids were playing together and laughing and swimming and having fun." Jake was grateful that Melanie had finally stopped pacing. "I was sitting on the edge of the lake...watching them. Hamilton was walking along the edge of the water and he had two puppies on a leash. They were so cute. He looked right at me and smiled as he walked by." Melanie smiled broadly as she relived the distant memory. "I knew...I knew that second that we were kindred spirits...soul mates. We would always be together."   
  
Jake opened her mouth meekly. "Hamilton smiled at you once...eight years ago...and that's why..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by and another blow to the side of her head.  
  
"Shut up! You're confusing him. Hamilton is not gay. Hamilton is very much in love with me. I can see it in the way he looks at me...the way he smiles at me." Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear. "He doesn't look at you like that. I did everything to make him happy. He likes the way I look now. I changed for him. I changed my hair for him. I changed the way I dress just for him. He told me that I was the one. He told me he loved me...he tells me that every night. He doesn't love you!" Jake looked up at her unable to rationally process her own thoughts. "I need to eliminate the obstacles." Melanie's voice lowered to a drone as she repeated the sentence. "Eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles, eliminate the obstacles...."   
  
"Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.  
  
*******************************  
  
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.  
  
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.  
  
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy. Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.  
  
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.  
  
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.  
  
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.  
  
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"   
  
******************************  
  
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.   
  
"You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. Phoebe got in my way. I have to do it for him. He loves me." Melanie continued to talk to herself. "Eliminate the obstacles." She said in a singsong voice. Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.  
  
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...you're right. Hamilton doesn't love me. He loves you...he told me that last night. He broke up with me...so that he can be with you." Jake attempted to play along. "I was going to pack and leave Rawley today. You can have him. He's all yours."  
  
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "You can't GIVE him back to me. He was mine to begin with. He's all I ever wanted and you're in the way." She said.  
  
"Ok..I'm in the way. I'll leave. I'll leave right now." Jake said in a somewhat pleading voice.  
  
"Leave?" Melanie laughed evilly. "You should never have come." Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.  
  
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.  
  
******************************  
  
The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.  
  
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.  
  
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."  
  
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.  
  
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."  
  
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.  
  
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.  
  
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.  
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.  
  
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"  
  
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house and directly into his father.  
  
"Dad!! Help me! Jake's inside!" Soot stained tears streamed down his face as his father reached out and held him.  
  
"Hamilton...she's Ok." He tried to yell above the crackle of the fire.  
  
Hamilton struggled in his fathers grasp. "Dad...please help me!! We have to get Jake out of there!"  
  
"Hamilton! His father slapped his cheek to gain his attention. "She's Ok! She's not in there anymore.  
  
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening.  
The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.  
"She's out! She's Ok!" Stephen yelled again. It was only then that Hamilton heard his father's words.  
  
Hamilton was breathing in gasps. "What? Where?" He searched his father's eyes.  
  
"Come on." Stephen lead his son quickly away from the blazing fire and back toward the wooded path. Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence.  
Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was an ambulance with red lights flashing and a police cruiser. Hamilton could see the paramedics loading the stretcher inside. Hamilton ran shortening the gap as quickly as he could.  
  
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. She was covered to her neck with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.  
  
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.  
  
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.  
  
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.  
  
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her confused.  
  
Melanie bent her head closer to the window. She smiled broadly at Hamilton and put her hand up to her mouth...and blew him a kiss.  
  
******************************  
  
Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.  
  
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.  
  
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for schizophrenia which is an imbalance in the brain. It can affect a persons thoughts and makes it difficult for them to distinguish what is real and what is imagined. Melanie must have felt like she was living in an alternate reality. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called her parents and they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has had difficulty hearing voices in her head since she was a child. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Hamilton and had created a life for herself that included him. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning to go to the groundskeepers shed...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.  
  
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.  
  
"Her." Stephen said.  
  
"So, you know..." He said.  
  
"Not at first...but I do now. Jacqueline told me herself." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.  
  
"She did?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when she's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."  
  
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.  
  
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.  
  
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.   
  
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.  
  
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.  
  
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie  
  
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.  
  
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.  
  
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.  
  
"Hi." He said.  
  
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.   
  
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.  
  
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.  
  
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.  
  
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.  
  
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:  
I couldn't decide between two endings for this story...if you weren't pleased with this one, or if you're just curious...read on!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Part X

The story is exactly the same...except Melanie is not schizophrenic so you will have to eliminate the pills that Bella found from your memory.... :)  
  
  
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"  
  
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.  
  
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.  
  
"Evening things out...Jacqueline."  
  
Jake looked up at the sound of her own name. "What?" She questioned.  
  
"Of course I know you...I've known about you my whole life." She said.  
  
Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that was mine. And now my intention is to take something of yours." Melanie's voice lowered as she spoke.  
  
"Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.  
  
"Hamilton is just the start..." Melanie answered.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about...what did I take from you? I don't even know you." Jake said.  
  
"No...I suppose you don't...but I know you."  
  
"Melanie...you're talking in circles...I don't understand..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by another blow to the side of her head.  
  
"Shut up! Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear.  
  
"You took her away from us...away from me. She had to be with you. Rich bitch." Melanie sneered in frustration as she watched Jake's eyes. "My mother." She said quietly. "My mother...had twins, my sister and I. She was alone...my father left her. She couldn't support us...she couldn't feed us. She gave us away. She gave us away to a home so that other people could take care of us. And then, she went to live with you!" Melanie looked at Jake with hate in her eyes. "We were sent to live with other families...I even lived here in Rawley for a time. My mother spent everyday of MY life taking care of you. I needed her. I needed her more than you did. You already had a mother...and you took mine as well."  
  
"You're Consuela's daughter?" Jake asked quietly trying to understand.  
  
"Yes..I am. I want her back!"  
  
"Look...Melanie you have to understand...I didn't know any of this." Jake's head pounded and she began to feel weak. "Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.  
  
*******************************  
  
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.  
  
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.   
  
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy.  
  
Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.  
  
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.  
  
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.  
  
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.   
  
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"   
  
******************************  
  
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.   
  
"You made me live in that place...You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. You got in the way of me having a normal life.. My mother would have been fine. WE would have been just fine. We lived with five different foster families. My sister was finally taken out of the orphanage two years ago, without me. She was all I had left. They told me she died in a fire last year. It's all your fault Jacqueline. Can you see how it's all your fault. If you were never born...then my mother would never have left...and my sister would never have died." Melanie ranted in explanation.  
  
Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.  
  
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...I'm sorry. I'm very sorry about your sister. I didn't know...I can try to make things up to you."  
  
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "Nothing you can do will bring her back to me. So...Jacqueline Pratt...I'm evening the score."  
  
Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.  
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.  
  
******************************  
  
The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.  
  
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.  
  
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."  
  
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.  
  
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."  
  
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.  
  
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.  
  
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.  
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.  
  
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"  
  
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house finding the door.  
Jake had managed to wiggle violently enough to knock the chair over and push her way toward the open door. "Hamilton!" She tried to yell but choked and coughed instead.  
  
Hamilton looked in through the door and saw Jake lying sideways on the floor.  
  
"She's here...Will, help me!" He screamed. Hamilton entered the burning building and grabbed at Jake's arm. She felt heavy and she wasn't moving. Hamilton hoped that she was just unconscious. Will coughed. The two bent down and picked up Jake, chair and all and carried her from the building.  
  
They fell on the grass. "Jake!" Hamilton yelled as he turned her face to his.  
  
"Hamilton...be careful. She looks really hurt." Bella said as she kneeled on the grass beside her.  
  
Scout peeled off his sweatshirt and carefully placed it under her Jake's head. "The ambulance will be here any second. Don't worry Ham. She'll be Ok."  
  
Will and Hamilton worked at the knots and freed Jake from the chair.  
  
  
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening. The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.  
Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence. Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was a police cruiser.  
  
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. The paramedics quickly scooped her up and placed her on a hard board. They put a rigid collar on her to protect her neck. She was covered with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.  
  
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.  
  
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.  
  
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.  
  
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. She sat with her head bent forward. He still had no idea of what had happened here. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her through the glass. Melanie turned her head and met his stare with a darkness in her eyes that frightened him.  
  
******************************  
  
Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.  
  
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.  
  
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for a personality disorder. Melanie's therapist was treating her for sociopathic behavior. Melanie felt abandoned by her mother. She felt rejected by her. When she lost her sister in an accident a year ago...she felt that Jake was responsible in some way. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called the center and the doctors they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has problems, severe psychological problems and she is unable to feel remorse. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Jake and blamed her for everything that had been bad in her own life. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.  
  
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.  
  
"Her." Stephen said.  
  
"So, you know..." He said.  
  
"Not at first...but I do now. I had to call Melanie's mother to tell her what was happening. When I started to call Jacqueline's mother it was only then that I realized that I was calling the same place. I spoke with Monica Pratt and well...she mentioned that she didn't have a son...only a daughter." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.  
  
"And?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when Jake's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."  
  
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.  
  
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.  
  
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.   
  
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.  
  
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.  
  
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie.  
  
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.  
  
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.  
  
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.  
  
"Hi." He said.  
  
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.   
  
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.   
  
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.  
  
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.  
  
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.  
  
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.  
  
THE END  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE #2:  
  
Want a little more?  
  
This is what I call..."The Scooby-Doo" Ending. Fans of Wayne's World will understand. I'm picturing Will as the cute blonde guy, Fred (if you can accept a cartoon character as being "cute"). Bella as Daphne, Jake as Velma and Hamilton as Shaggy. Leaving Scout to play Scooby-Doo.  
  
Can you hear the music? LOL   
deedley doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo.  
  
  
Ok...so I didn't really write a Scooby-Doo ending...but if I were going to ...I imagine it would have involved a film projector...a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling of the groundskeepers shed. A skate board and an old barrell that would have fallen magically from the roof and perfectly encased Melanie, restraining her arms but allowing her head to poke through. (you can picture this...right?)  
  
  
"WelI, when I read the ancient Himalyan heiroglyphics that were scratched onto the wall in the shed it became aparent to me that Melanie was using this shed to mine the gold which was housed under the lake." Velma/Jake said.  
  
"And she used the story about the lake being haunted to keep the Rawley students away." Fred/Will added.   
  
"What about the ghost?" Shaggy/Hamilton asked.  
  
Scooby/Scout entered from the opposite door pulling the now amazingly tied up "Ghost of Rawley Lake", with his teeth across the floor. (Scooby/Scout laughs here...can you hear it??)  
  
"So why did Melanie want the gold?" Daphne/Bella asked looking, as usual, puzzled.  
  
"It's not Melanie Manos at all..." Velma/Jake said as she reached for Melanie's chin and hastily pulled off the rubber mask.  
  
"Mr. Finch?!!" They all said in unison as they looked at Rawley's own groundskeeper.  
  
"And the ghost...." Shaggy/Hamilton said as he unveiled the real face of the apparition.  
  
"Mrs. Kolopolus?" The all said in unison again.  
  
"Yeah...that was the plan. "Mr. Finch said disgruntled.  
  
"And it would have worked to...if it weren't for you meddling kids." :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
